Pride of the District
by Shuckiesttribute
Summary: It's the year of the 57th Hunger Games. All Satin ever dreamed of was to win the Games and make her family and her district proud. But she never realized how high the stakes were, and how big the prize she had to pay would be.
1. Chapter 1

**Update 11 Jan 2015: I've been going through all the chapters so far to take out some mistakes that I discovered. Chapter 10 is also coming up soon! I'm busy with university work at the moment so it might take me a little longer to update, but I hope you enjoy the story anyway. :3 Feedback is always very much appreciated.**

**Chapter 1.**

The sky is decorated with strips of orange as the sun is setting in District 1. I'm relieved to see the source of the searing heat disappear below the horizon as I make my way through the crowded streets of the district. It's early in the evening, just after dinner. That usually means that there are children playing on the streets, their parents not too far off, watching them. Something crunches underneath my shoe which makes me stop in my tracks. I look down and see that I've stepped on some paper. It's not some ordinary paper: it's a poster. It's one of the reaping day posters that have been spread throughout the whole district. I've seen this poster so often in the past few days that I already know what it says without actually reading the words.

_57TH ANNUAL HUNGER GAMES._  
><em>REAPING TAKES PLACE THIS SATURDAY.<em>  
><em>CENTRAL SQUARE, 11 AM.<em>  
><em>- Attendance is mandatory for all citizens. -<em>

Reaping day is only two days away, and I want to be as ready as I can be. I look at the golden watch on my wrist and see that it's almost time. I continue walking and fasten my pace, not wanting to be late. Soon, the houses and the playing children are behind me. They are replaced by the factories and empty streets of one of the many industrial sites in the district. As soon as I've reached the glassworks factory, I turn around the corner. On the left side of the building is a rusty iron door, built into a brick wall. There's a small, plastic box on the wall next to the door that once contained a safety alarm system. I grab hold of the iron handle and push it down, but the door doesn't open right away. It takes a good yank or two before the door finally opens. I quickly sneak inside and close the door behind me. On the other side of the door is a small hallway, with nothing but gray, concrete walls and a metal staircase that descends into the abandoned parking garage that's very familiar to me by now.

"And there she is. Never early, never late. Always right on time." I hear a voice say as I walk down the stairs. The voice belongs to Blaze Argentum, the boy with the dark blonde, almost golden hair and dark green eyes, who happens to be a dear friend of mine. I smile at him sheepishly in response.

"You know me well." I tell him.

"I think I would be doing something wrong if I didn't, after eight years." Blaze replies.

There it is again. The strange feeling I get in my stomach when he starts talking like this. But I have no time to think about it now. I have better things to do.  
>"Let's just start." I change the subject. "Reaping day is only two days away, and I want to be ready."<p>

"Where's Salem?" He asks.

Usually, my brother Salem and I always train together. The moments when one of us shows up alone are very rare. Salem was supposed to come with me today, but he had been acting strange. He told me this morning he couldn't make it to training. When I asked him why, he only gave me the vague answer that he had things to do. I tell Blaze about this.  
>Blaze nods and starts walking towards the training dummies that are positioned in the corner. I follow him. We pass another group of teenagers who are practicing one-on-one combat with swords. I hear that they are shouting at each other, but I can't make out the words over the sound of the swords clashing, echoing against the concrete walls.<p>

"I don't know what it is exactly, but I feel as if something's going to be different this year."

Blaze gives me a serious look at first. Then his expression turns into a less serious one.

"Yes, maybe this year will be the year that the princess of District 1, Satin Charbrooke, will finally be reaped to compete in The Hunger Games." He announces mockingly. I walk up to the baskets with weapons and take out a few knives.

"And then what? Do you think you really have a chance of winning?" Blaze asks me.  
>I walk back a few steps, until I'm a few feet away from one of the training dummies. Then I turn around to face it.<p>

"More than most of the other tributes do, I guess." I say, as I throw a knife towards the training dummy. The blade of the knife slides into the dummy's chest with ease.

"You guess?"

I don't reply. Why is he acting like this?

"You're good with knives, I have to admit that. But what if there are no knives in the arena? What will you do then? What else are you good at?"

"I can wield a sword if necessary. I've also been during endurance trainings. And if I remember it right, you were there with me." I remind him, as another knife flies through the air, towards the dummy. This time the knife digs into the dummy's stomach.  
>He nods, and then turns his head. I follow his gaze and see a figure coming our way. It's a girl of my age, with green eyes and brown hair that falls in a wavy tail over her shoulder. Her name is Amelia Harrington. I've met her here in the garage, not too long ago. We've been doing a lot of training together. She and I are both tiny. But where I am strong and hard to escape, she is quick and hard to catch. This keeps it interesting for both of us.<p>

"Hello Amelia." I say.

"Hello Satin." She says. "Do you want to practice wrestling?"

I nod and I follow her to the wrestling mat. It's not really a mat, since it's not much more than a few layers of blankets. But it's all we could get for here. We are actually not supposed to be doing what all of us are doing here: Training and preparing for the Games. If the peacekeepers ever find out, I don't know what they are going to do with us. It won't be anything good. Fortunately, there are barely any peacekeepers around in this part of the city, at this time of day.

Amelia and I take our places on opposite sides of the mat. Blaze stands on the sideline, apparently playing the referee. I scowl at him.

"There will be no referees in the arena either."

"True." He replies. "But nonetheless, I wouldn't want any of you to hurt the other outside of the arena."

I sigh. Then I turn towards Amelia. I take a step towards her, and within half a second she's a step closer to me as well. Her reactions to my actions are swift. I take another step in her direction, and almost at the same she takes a step as well. I try to grab her shirt but before my hand reaches her, she's already holding my wrist. With my other hand, I try to grab her arm. As soon as I have hold of her arm, her other hand is locked around my other wrist. I'm standing so close to her now that I can feel her breath on my fingers. Then she does something I do not expect: she releases one hand, then tries to pull the other one back but I'm not giving in. While she is still trying to free her arms, I put my right foot behind her left leg and pull it towards me. She falls to the ground and I sit on top of her, pinning her arms and legs to the ground. She squirms and tries to get away, but I am stronger than her.

"And we have a winner!" Blaze announces.

I let go of Amelia and help her up. Her grip on me is now much stronger than it was in our battle, which makes me frown.

"Were you even trying?" I ask her.

She shrugs. "I didn't really feel like it today." Then she walks away from me.

I walk after her, leaving Blaze behind by the mat. "Didn't feel like it today? You can't say that once you're in the arena, you know."

Once we're out of hearing distance, Amelia speaks again.

"That doesn't matter." She says softly. "Because I'm not going to be in the arena."

"What?" I demand. "Why?"

"I don't want to."

Her words surprise me, and yet they don't. The first question that comes to mind is: 'Why wouldn't you want to be in the arena? We are District 1 - the Capitol favorite - we win most of the Games. It is a great opportunity to stand out.' But I keep it to myself. Soon after that I realize that – now I think about it – Amelia never has been much of a fighter. She told me that her parents had asked her to go train for the Games, but I never realized until now that that might not be what she really wants.  
>And she's right. In our district, you don't have to go into the arena if you don't want to. There are always plenty of people who'll gladly volunteer for you. Because of the many volunteers, the reaping routine in our district has changed by now. Once a tribute has been reaped, he or she is asked whether they want to participate in the Games or not. If the answer is yes, they will participate. If the answer is no, the volunteers can sign in again for a so-called 'Second Round of Reaping', in which only the volunteers can be reaped. In the second round of reaping, there is no such thing as volunteering. So if you are reaped in the second round, you're going, whether you still want it or not.<p>

"Okay." I reply to Amelia. I do not completely understand her, but I will be accepting. Not wanting to compete in the Games is an exception in our district. Winning the Games has given great opportunities to its Victors, especially in the districts closer to the Capitol. I remember Sparkle Lockheart, who became a model in the Capitol after winning the 49th Hunger Games. She's famous all over Panem now. Sparkle's story always inspires me to work and train harder; I aspire to be just like her one day.

After our short conversation, Amelia is going home. I thank her before she leaves, then I carry on training for another hour with Blaze.

An hour later, Blaze and I walk up the metal stairs again. When we're in the small corridor, Blaze walks past me quickly. He opens the door carefully and peeks outside.  
>"The coast is clear." He says. Both of us walk out and make our way home.<br>Even though the sun has set hours ago, it's still warm enough outside to walk around in shorts. As soon as we near the residential area of the district, Blaze and I both know we have to be careful for the peacekeepers. By now, the streets have all become empty and quiet except for the peacekeepers standing guard. Just as we expected, there are peacekeepers here too. Blaze quickly grabs my hand and squeezes it, and I give him a kiss on the cheek. This is an act we do more often: When the peacekeepers see that we're just another couple who sneaked away for a little while, they are often easy on us. This is not unusual in the district and the peacekeepers often don't see it as a complication.  
>When we're a few streets away and out of sight of the peacekeepers, Blaze lets go of my hand. He walks all the way to my house with me today. When we're at the front door, he turns to me.<p>

"Since Salem wasn't with us today, I just wanted to make sure you got home safely." He says.

"Thank you." I nod, then smile at him.

His eyes meet mine. For a second, he opens his mouth as if he's going to say something. Then he seems to change his mind and closes it again. He folds his hands behind his back.

"Goodnight, Satin." He says eventually.

"Goodnight, Blaze." I reply. Then he turns around and walks away.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2.**

When I walk into our living room that evening, it's not as quiet as usual. My parents are often up late, quietly watching television or reading books and magazines. But now my mother is talking on the phone excitedly. My father is standing next to her, trying to listen along. Salem is sitting on the couch in front of the television but he's not watching. Instead, he's looking at mother as well.

"Okay. That's good. Let me know when there's more news." My mother chirps into the telephone. Then she hangs up.

"What's going on?" I ask.

"Oh! Welcome home darling!" My mother says. "Your aunt Sapphire just went into labor. She'll be giving birth somewhere tonight."

I immediately understand why she is so excited. Sapphire, my mother's younger sister, is pregnant and was due a few days ago. We were all getting a little worried by now but the baby is finally coming. It's extra exciting because it is Sapphire's first child. And for Salem and I, it's our first cousin.

"Oh, that's great!" I reply. "Are we going there?"

"Not now." My mother answers. "But we will visit her tomorrow, when the baby is there."

"Where have you been?" My father asks suddenly.

"I was out training with Blaze." I tell him. Apparently the answer is satisfactory because he doesn't ask any more questions. I decide that I don't need to worry about it and walk up to my bedroom. My parents both know that Salem and I have been training for a while, but they are never really particularly interested in anything that involves training without Salem.

Salem and I are twins. He was born fourteen minutes before me. He and I both don't care about it, but our parents – especially our father – do. They believe we have a family tradition to uphold. My father, Copper Charbrooke, won the 30th Hunger Games when he was 18 years old. He expects that one of us will participate in the Games as well, and that we do our best to win. Because Salem is the oldest, he's expected to be trying the hardest. He wants us to achieve as much as he did. Our family's jewellery store is now one of the biggest ones in the District, thanks to my father's name. Usually, my parents focus on Salem the most. I remember how father had reprimanded Salem afterwards for not volunteering. Since we are both seventeen now, our chances for participating in the Games are running out. Our parents realize this as well, so I think that's why they have been so hard on Salem lately. It's the reason why I'm thinking of volunteering this year. The idea of being reaped for the game thrills me. Maybe I can finally show myself and my family that I'm capable of great things as well…

I have no idea of what time it is when my mother wakes me. I look out the window, where the dawn sky still is a mixture of grays, pinks and blues. It reminds me of the bruises on skins after a good training session. I yawn and turn around in my bed.

"Satin, wake up." My mother says. "We're leaving for the hospital in forty minutes."

"Hospital?"

"Yes. Sapphire gave birth to a baby girl last night. Don't you want to see her?"

Then I remember: Aunt Sapphire was having a baby. When this realization sinks in, I suddenly feel a lot more awake.

"I do." I say, looking at my mother. She's still wearing her purple dressing gown and her light blonde hair is still up in a messy knot. I remember then that it's Friday today and that we have to be back at the store in time. Mother and I both have a lot of work to do today. Some of our main customers are stylists from the Capitol that work with the tributes. Since tomorrow is Reaping day, and the Games will start soon after that, there are a lot of orders that will be picked up today.

My mother looks at me and nods. "So be ready in forty minutes."

After my mother has left the room, I jump out of bed and look through my wardrobe for something to wear. Since I expect the weather today to be as warm as it was yesterday and the day before, I go for a wide blue skirt that ends just above my knees and a white shirt on top of it. Underneath it I'll wear my favorite sneakers.

Forty minutes later, I'm fully dressed and I've finished breakfast. My father and Salem are already at work in the store, so it's just me and my mother that are headed for the hospital. There are trams in District 1, but they only ride on special occasions. There are a few people that own bicycles but they are very rare, even in District 1, since it's a luxury that most people in Panem cannot afford. Fortunately, the hospital isn't very far away for us. It takes us about twenty minutes before we reach District 1's healthcare area. This area isn't very big: there's the hospital, a drugstore and a few other buildings.

The hospital isn't very big, so it's not very hard for my mother and I to find the room where Sapphire is. The door is ajar, but my mother still knocks before she enters. I go in after her. Sapphire is lying on a bed with a little bundle in her arms. Apparently she is awake, because she looks up when we walk in.

She smiles when she sees my mother. "Hello Amethyst." Two seconds later, she notices me. "And hello Satin! It's good to see you too."

She sounds tired. But then again, I assume she's been up for most of the night.

"Good morning, young mother." My mother smiles back at her and walks up to her bed more quickly now.

"So this is her." Sapphire moves the bundle of blankets apart a little bit so the baby's face is revealed. The first thing that I notice are her bright green eyes, like emeralds. They look up to my mother and me in awe. Then I notice that there already a blonde curls on her hair. When the child is over the initial surprise, she smiles at us. I'm sold. Even though this baby is only a few hours old, she's already beautiful.

My mother strokes the baby's face carefully. "She's gorgeous. What's her name?"

"Glimmer."

I am drawn to her. She is bright and all I want to do for the moment is to look at her.

"That name suits her." I say.

My mother steps aside and then it's my turn. I stretch out my fingers towards the baby and she grabs my thumb with her small hand. She looks me in the eyes and I look back.

"What a beautiful baby girl." I tell Sapphire. "She's definitely going to go far once she gets older."

We chat with Sapphire and admire Glimmer for another ten minutes, and then my mother nudges my shoulder softly to get my attention. When I turn my head and look at her, she points to her watch.

"I'm very sorry, but we have to leave now." My mother tells Sapphire. "We have a lot of work to do at the store today."

"Oh, yes. It's reaping day tomorrow. I can imagine you are very busy today then."

"It's very hectic," my mother sighs, "There are so many orders for the next few weeks."

"I wish you could have stayed longer, but I understand you have to go." Sapphire eventually says.

"Yes. We'll see each other again."

"We will come visit you and Glimmer again soon." I add.

A minute later, my mother and I are on our way to the store. When we get there, there's already a number of people inside. My father and Salem are both talking to customers from behind the counter. My mother and I hurry towards the back of the store, where our work tables are. My father and Salem mostly deal with the customers, while my mother and I are mostly crafting jewellery in the back. We start working right away.

Ten minutes later, I hear a knock on the backdoor of our store. Salem and I both head for the backdoor because we think we know it is. When I open the door, I see that we were right about it. On the other side of the threshold is a tiny girl, about 13 years old, with short blonde hair and a sunburnt skin. Her name is Lux. She lives in District 2, where she works in the mines with her parents and her eight brothers and sisters. They dig out the gemstones and precious metals, clean and refine them and then deliver them to several jewelers in District 1. We are one of their biggest customers. Since Lux doesn't have much body strength, working in the mines is hard for her. So her parents sent her out with her brother Noah to deliver the materials. Salem and I greet Lux and Noah, and then we help to carry the load inside. In the meanwhile, we chat a little about the upcoming Games.

"So are you guys going to volunteer?" Lux asks in her light, chirpy voice.

Salem shrugs. "I don't know yet. Maybe I-"

"I am going to volunteer." I interrupt him. "Are you?" I aim the question at Noah, since I'm already guessing that Lux isn't going to volunteer.

Noah shakes his head. "I would, but my family needs me. I can't really leave them alone."

He's right. Noah is one of the oldest children from the family and he works the hardest. His family does need him. Volunteering for the Games has become very popular in District 2 as well, so they took over our reaping system. For some people this can be an opportunity, but for some people this can also be their rescue. People in District 2 are often poorer than the people in District 1, but they also bring forth excellent fighters. Especially the children of blacksmiths: they often have experience with handling weapons already. Lux's family wasn't so fortunate to end up at the right part of the District: They make long days in the mines and barely get by. They don't even have time to train for the Games, so I can understand they're not as enthusiastic about it.

After all the materials are loaded out of their cart, Lux and Noah head right back.

"I'm guessing you guys are very busy too today." Salem says as they walk towards the backdoor again.

Lux sighs. It's a high-pitched sound that sounds like she either is out of breath or has asthma. In her case, it could be both. "It's crazy."

Noah notices this as well and protectively puts his hand on her back, then leads her outside.

"Good luck." Salem and I say in unison.

Noah replies with a quick "thank you" and then they disappear around the corner. Salem and I go back to our work again.

I am almost done with a bracelet when one of our main customers, Madeline, walks in. Madeline is a woman in her forties. She's from the Capitol, which explains her odd appearance. She has a tanned skin, dark brown eyes and jet black hair that falls just above her shoulders, and it's dyed bright pink on the ends. She probably has had cosmetic surgery, because I don't believe that her long lashes, that are the same bright pink on the ends, are real. She has three tiny stars tattooed just below the corner of her right eye and her eyelids are golden.

"Hello Copper," Madeline speaks in her Capitol accent, "I came to pick up my order."

"Hello Madeline, how are you doing?" My father asks her.

"I am doing well. It's just very busy in the Capitol this time of year, with the Games coming up."

"It's not much different here." My father smiles.

Then Madeline's eye falls on the bracelet I am making. It's a net of tiny golden chains and diamonds woven through in some places. I was just finishing the last things: adding the clasp and checking if it all stays in place. When I move the bracelet in the light, it shimmers on all sides.

"That looks beautiful dear," Madeline says, "Is it for sale?"

I look up from my work in slight surprise. Usually I'm not the one that people start talking to in the store.

"Yes, it's going to be for sale," I reply, "I have yet to determine the price, though."

"You can have it for free." I hear my dad say behind me. I glare at him. _Why can't he let me decide this myself?_

"Oh, really? But your daughter put so much effort into it."

"That's true, but you already have such a big order." My dad replies.

"No no, I cannot just accept that. I'll pay 10 percent of the order price for the bracelet, and the money is for your beautiful daughter."

"That-" My father starts, but then he is interrupted by Madeline again.

"And that's the deal."

I look up at Madeline in surprise. Barely anyone ever stands up to my dad. Madeline gives me a warm smile, and I smile right back at her. When my dad walks to the storage room to retrieve the remainder of Madeline's order, Madeline winks at me and says. "I see you work so hard so often. You deserve it, darling." Then she walks towards the counter, where my dad is packing several pieces of jewellery in a cardboard box. I recognize the necklaces, bracelets, earrings and rings: My mother and I crafted most of them. When it all is packed, Madeline gives my father the money, then takes the box from him and leaves. I glance outside the window and see her walking towards a car. The car is black, except for the logo on the sides: the bronze eagle that represents the Capitol. I'm not the only one who's watching: I see people in the streets watching the car as it rides past them. It's not every day that a car drives through our district, let alone one from the Capitol.

A long day of hard work and chaos later, we head home. Mother, Salem and I wait on the streets as father locks the front door of the store. The four of us walk home in less than ten minutes. When we arrive home, mother immediately hurries to the kitchen to prepare us a decent meal. In the meanwhile, I watch the Capitol news on the television with father and Salem. The news is mostly related to the Games, since reaping day is tomorrow. We see the familiar chubby face of Amaryllis Redpath, who has been the Host of the Games for the past twelve years. Next to him is Plutarch Heavensbee, who has been the Head Gamemaker for two years now. They talk about the upcoming Games.

"So this is the 57th year of the Hunger Games. How have you been preparing for these Games, Plutarch?" Amaryllis asks in his ever nasal-sounding voice.

"The preparation for these games had already started before the previous games had ended. I've been walking around with several ideas for arenas for years, and now I finally have the opportunity to explore these ideas and turn them into a reality." Plutarch replies.

"Now, doesn't that sound interesting?" Amaryllis addresses the crowd. They enthusiastically clap in response. Then Amaryllis turns to Plutarch again: "I'm very curious to what you're going to make of the Games this year. Thank you, Plutarch."

As Plutarch gets up and leaves the stage, Amaryllis turns towards the camera. "And that's not the only exciting news I have for you, ladies and gentlemen. This news is less exciting for me than it is for you but as most of you have heard already, I will be watching these Games from the other side of the camera, for I no longer will be your host after tonight."

The crowd replies with a sad "ohh," then they turn quiet again as Amaryllis continues talking. "After twelve years, I decided it was time for a change." Amaryllis says. I can't help but smirk a little at these words. Amaryllis' lazy style of hosting has never really appealed to me, so I'm glad to see him go.

"So, ladies and gentlemen, are you ready to meet your new host?" Amaryllis asks the crowd. It's silent for half a second before he continues: "Then give me a big applause for Caesar Flickerman!"

A young man walks up to the stage. He is lean and slightly taller than Amaryllis. His purple hair is so long that it nearly falls in his face. He smiles and waves at the crowd as he walks across the stage, and the crowd claps and cheers for him.

"Well, isn't he a handsome young man." My mother's voice sounds from the kitchen.

"Welcome Caesar!" Amaryllis says as Caesar is making himself comfortable in the large blue chairs. "How are you feeling?"

"Good!" Caesar answers with a lot of enthusiasm. "I am very excited."

"So now it's all starting for you: your very first year as a host of the Games! What are looking forward to the most?"

Caesar thinks about this for a second. "That's a hard thing to choose. There are so many things that I'm looking forward to. But what I'm looking forward to the most are the stories of all the tributes. They are different each year and they really bring the Games to life."

"That is indeed wonderful." Amaryllis replies. There's something in the tone of his voice that makes me wonder if he really means it. And then Amaryllis does something we rarely see him do: He stands up from his chair and walks a few steps forward. He gestures Caesar to come with him.

Amaryllis addresses the crowd again. "Dear people of Panem. I had a splendid twelve years with you, and it was a pleasure hosting the Games. But now I will pass on this wonderful job to the gentleman next to me." Then he turns to Caesar. "Take care of these people, Caesar. And they will take care of you."

Amaryllis hands Caesar the microphone, and then he bows for the audience, which is clapping insanely. Caesar pats Amaryllis on the back, then he puts the microphone to his mouth and ends the show in the same natural way he walked up the stage earlier. "Ladies and gentlemen, another big applause for Amaryllis Redpath! My name is Caesar Flickerman and I'll be seeing you all tomorrow. Have a good evening."

The camera zooms out and we see the thousands of people in the audience, still clapping and cheering. Then the television screen fades to black.

"Dinner is ready!" My mother calls as she carries the pans with the food in them to the dinner table. The four of us gather around the table and finish our dinner quickly: we are all hungry after a hard day of work.

After dinner there's not enough time for me to go out and train anymore, so instead I go out for a round of jogging with Salem.

"So, are you excited for tomorrow?" I ask him.

"Tons." Salem replies flatly.

"You don't sound excited."

Salem doesn't answer. After a moment of silence, I look at him. He doesn't look like his usual happy self.

"What's wrong?"

Salem sighs and slows pace. "Satin... If I tell you a secret, can you promise me to keep it to yourself?"

"Of course!"

He eyes me reluctantly and doesn't reply right away.

"I am your sister," I tell him, "You can trust me."

"The reason that I'm not so excited about the games is because…" He starts.

I look at him, waiting for him to finish his sentence.

"Because… since not too long ago, there's someone in my life that I really care about. And if one of us is reaped tomorrow, we might lose one another. And I'm not excited about that."

"Salem, that's great!" I exclaim. "Well, the special someone is great. Not if you might lose one another. I can imagine you're not excited about that." I add quickly.

Salem nods. He seems happy that I understand, but he's still tensed.

"So, who is it?" I ask. "Is it Rubena? I know she has had a crush on you since elementary school."

Salem shakes his head in response.

"It's not a girl, Satin. It's a boy."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3.**

Salem's words make me stop in my tracks. He notices this immediately and stops as well. I can't help but stare at him for several seconds. He still looks the same as ever: A nearly exact copy of me, except for the fact that he's taller and his hair is short. We have the same wavy blonde hair, and the same dark blue eyes that are relatively uncommon in our district. Yet, I see him differently. There are a lot of pretty boys in District 1. The kind of pretty boys that would like to have a pretty girl by their side to show off at every social occasion. I thought that Salem would be one of those boys once he finds a girlfriend, and that I would be one of those girls when I get a boyfriend. But now I see that Salem isn't like that at all. Being his sister, I feel like I should've known.

"You're judging me, aren't you?" He eventually says.

"It's just… I didn't expect this." I tell him.

"I just hope I made the right choice trusting you, then."

My first response to that is a sigh. His words hurt.

"You are my brother. Why wouldn't you trust me?"

Salem's voice turns to a whisper. "Because my position is a scary one to be in, considering the time and place that we live in."

I nod, because I understand. There is no law that forbids homosexuality in Panem, but it is frowned upon. Not only by the Capitol, but in all the districts as well. Times are hard and people would rather see a man and a woman bringing forth children to ensure the future.

"So what do you want me to do with this?" I ask him.

"Nothing." He replies almost immediately. "I just needed someone to know."

"Can I know who it is?"

"Not yet."

"Okay."

It seems the conversation ended, so I start walking again. Salem and I make our way home in silence.  
>That night, I lie awake thinking for a couple of hours before sleep catches me. I think of my old classmates in high school and wonder how many of them will be volunteering tomorrow. I still haven't completely made up my mind about volunteering myself. But then I think: Why not? The odds of getting picked are small but if I do get picked there is so much to gain. I can always try…<p>

The next morning I'm woken up by the small beam of sunlight that falls in my face. Remembering what day it is, I shoot up straight in my bed. _What time is it?_ After a quick glance at the clock, I come to the conclusion that it's 9:30. We have to be at the Central Square at 11:00. I'm just getting out of my bed when my mother walks into the room.

"Oh, you're already awake." She says. "Go and get ready, we're leaving in a little more than an hour. You can use some of my make-up if you want."

Since it's reaping day, I'm taking a little more care of my appearance than usual. I take a quick shower first, then I go back to my room to find something to wear. I browse through my dresses, until I find a short, purple summer dress that's perfect for this type of weather. I head back to the bathroom and glance at myself in the mirror. I put my hair up just to see how it looks, but then I decide to leave it down. I open my mother's make-up box and look at the contents. First I put some powder on my face, then I make sure my eyes stand out by putting mascara on my lashes. Last, I put on a light pink lipstick. Then I walk back into my room to put on my silver sandals and head downstairs for breakfast.

Mother smiles at me when she sees me. "You look beautiful."

I smile back at her. "Thank you."

Then she walks up to me and takes something out of her pocket. "This would finish it, though." She says as she puts a silver necklace around my neck. The pendant is a small, heart-shaped diamond.

I look at the shimmering pendant for a second, then I look up to my mother again.

"This is beautiful," I say, "What is-"

"It's a family gift." My mother says. "It used to be your grandma's. She gave it to me when I turned seventeen. Since you've turned seventeen this year, I thought it would be your turn to have it."

"Thank you." I say again.

After breakfast, the four of us head towards the Central Square. The trams are being ridden today, but because they are so crowded we decided to go by foot. We don't live that far away from the Square anyway, it's only a thirty minute walk.

It's only half past ten when we arrive at the Square, but the place is already packed with people. This is not unusual in our district: everyone here is very eager and enthusiastic about the Games. Salem signs in and walks up to the left side of the square, which is the boys' side. Then it's my turn to sign in.

"Next."

I step forward and hold out my hand. The woman behind the counter grabs my wrist and pricks my finger with a needle, then presses my bloody fingertip onto the paper. She pulls out an electronic device with which she scans my fingertip. My name appears on the screen of the device.

"Next."

I walk over to the right side of the square, where all the girls are. The youngest ones are in the front, the oldest in the back. So I stand in the first-to-last section, in between all the seventeen year olds. I recognize the wavy brown hair of Amelia in the section of the sixteen year olds, before me. To kill the time, I study the crowd. There are a lot of familiar faces: Friends, classmates, customers. But there are a lot of unfamiliar faces as well. At the boys' side, my eyes lock with the familiar dark green eyes of Blaze. He smiles at me and I smile back.

"Welcome, welcome." My attention is pulled to the stage as the voice of Brynn Ecclestar echoes over the square. I cringe at the sight of her. Her hair, eyebrows and eyelashes are dyed white, which looks really strange with her tanned skin and purple lipstick. It looks even stranger with the tight red dress that she's wearing.

"It's that special day of the year again." Brynn announces. "Today, we shall select one brave young man and woman to participate in the 57th annual Hunger Games. But before we start, I want you all to see this special film, brought to you by the Capitol."

Brynn walks to the side of the stage as the screen behind her lights up, and it shows the familiar footage that we get to see each year. The footage of the Dark Days and the civil war that followed, that is all familiar to me now. I want to roll my eyes, but then I think better of it. Fortunately, the film is only a few minutes long. When it ends, Brynn walks towards the microphone again.

"Now,v wasn't that inspiring?" Brynn asks the crowd. Several cheers sound from the audience.

"So now the time has come to select our tributes for this year's Hunger Games. As usual, ladies first."

Brynn walks up to the bowl on the right side of the stage. The bowl is so full that the papers almost fall out. Brynn digs her hand into the bowl, which sends several of the papers fluttering towards the floor. She comes up with one paper in her hand, then walks towards the microphone. She unfolds the paper and reads out the name on it.

"Amelia Harrington."

Almost immediately, Amelia turns around and her eyes find me. There's a silent plead in her eyes, but I decide to ignore it for now. She sighs, then walks up the stage and takes her place next to Brynn, who smiles at her.

"And now it's the men's turn." Brynn walks up to the other bowl, which is placed on the left side of the stage. The bowl is just as full as the other one, and again a few of the papers fall out as she digs her hand into it. With one paper in her hand, she walks back to the microphone.

"Zircon Lovett."

The name rings a bell and surprises me at the same time. The Lovett family is known all throughout the Capitol, District 1 and District 2 for their perfumes. They have released four different fragrances in this year alone. I remember the commercials on the television for their newest fragrance: "Passion" by Lovett. But what I never knew is that Mrs. And Ms. Lovett had a son.

A tall boy with broad shoulders walks up to the stage. His hair is copper-colored, which matches the many freckles on his face and arms. His bright green eyes stand out compared to his slightly tanned skin. He smiles and waves at the crowd as he walks up the stage. He's already showing off and trying to win over the audience.

After Brynn welcomes Zircon to the stage, she turns to Amelia. "So, Amelia was your name, right?"

Amelia nods in response.

"Do you want to participate in the Hunger Games?"

This question would never be asked to a tribute from any of the other districts, except for District 2. The Games are so popular here that the majority of the teenagers jumps up at the chance to participate in the Games. Amelia doesn't. She shakes her head and the female side of the crowd cheers. This means there's another chance for them to be reaped. Then Brynn turns to Zircon.

"Zircon, do you want to participate in the Hunger Games."

"Yes." Zircon answer sounds determined.

"So there will only be a female volunteer this year." Brynn says. I see a few disappointed faces in the boys' section. Now the so-called Second Round of Reaping will start for the girls. It's a phenomenon that's known only in District 1 and 2 for as far as I know. I've gotten the impression that they aren't so enthusiastic about the Games in the other districts, which is a pity. The Games are a beautiful and honorful event that brings the people of Panem together. I've always wondered why not everyone sees it that way.

"All the volunteers please line up in front of the sign in counter." Brynn instructs us, and we do as she says. I sneak through the crowd, making my way to the counter quickly. I have to get in line, but I don't want to have to wait too long. I don't want to miss out on this.

"Next."

I step forward. The lady behind the counter eyes me curiously, and then her face turns cold again.

"Name?"

"Satin Charbrooke."

The lady scans the list for my name. When she finds it, she writes my name on a paper slip and puts in the glass bowl that's on the counter.

"Okay. Next."

I walk back to my place in the section of the seventeen year olds. A few times, I look over my shoulder to see how far they are with signing in. Every now and then, I glance at the giant clock that hangs on the stone wall of the City Hall. All together it takes fifteen minutes before all the volunteers are signed in. The glass bowl that stood on the sign in counter is now placed on the stage.

Brynn looks at the bowl, which is almost full.

"So many volunteers!" She says, "Let's pick one, shall we?"

After several cheers, the crowd turns silent. We are all tensed, waiting for Brynn to read out a name. At least eighty percent of the people around me are hoping for their name to be called, including me this year. I hold my breath as Brynn takes a paper slip from the bowl, walks up to the microphone and unfolds it. Brynn exhales audibly before she reads out the name.

"Satin Charbrooke."

For a second I look around, waiting for someone in the crowd to move. Then I realized that it was my name she called. My name! I can barely contain the smile on my face as I make my way through the crowd and walk towards the stage. Brynn gives me a hand to help me climb the stairs. I stand next to her, scanning the crowd from up here.

"So here they are, the tributes from District 1: Zircon Lovett and Satin Charbrooke." The crowd cheers and Brynn takes a step back so Zircon and I can shake hands. Zircon grabs my hand tightly and shakes it. He doesn't speak, but he eyes me mockingly. I grab his hand more firmly and shake it. Do not overlook me, Zircon. I hope he gets the message. I let go of Zircon's hand and wave at the crowd. Most of them are still cheering, but some of them are silently glaring at us. I decide to ignore it.

"Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor." Brynn says.

A peacekeeper walks up to me and Zircon and leads us to the City Hall, behind the stage. Zircon and I are brought to two different rooms, where we're told to wait for our family or friends. Those who want are able to visit the tributes before they travel to the Capitol. I don't have to wait long for the first guest to arrive: It's Amelia.

"You have three minutes." The peacekeeper says.

As soon as Amelia's walked through the door she gives me a long, tight hug.

"Thank you for going in my place." Amelia says eventually. Then she lets me go.

"I didn't volunteer because you were picked," I tell her, "But I guess you're welcome?" I shrug.

"So, aren't you nervous?"

"Not yet." I grin at her. "But my guess is that that will change after I've seen my competition."

"Well, I just hope to see you soon." Amelia says as the peacekeeper opens the door. "Good luck, Satin!" She adds quickly. Then she leaves the room.

The next people to visit me are my parents and Salem. My mother immediately hugs me and keeps saying how happy she is for me. I want to take off the necklace and give it back to her, but she stops me.

"No no, you should take it with you into the arena as your token."

I nod and put the necklace back on.

"So finally one of our children is chosen," My father speaks. When he finishes he looks at Salem, then he looks back at me. "Congratulations Satin, I hope you're going to make us proud."

"I will." I tell him. Then I turn to Salem. He is the only one who hasn't said anything so far. His eyes meet mine and at first we do nothing. Then he smiles and gives me a short hug.

"Good luck, little sis." He whispers in my ear. Behind him, the door opens. The same peacekeeper tells us our time is up.

"Thank you." I say, as the three of them are led outside by the peacekeeper.

After they leave I am alone in the room for several minutes. I'm guessing that there are no more visitors for me now, which disappoints me a little. I look around the room. There's only one window here. I walk up to it and wipe away the dust. Through the glass I can see a grass field behind the City Hall that I never knew existed. The place looks like there hasn't been anyone in ages: the grass is tall and is overgrown with different kinds of plants. It fascinates me: how wonderful would it be to know about a place where nobody goes…

The sound of the door opening interrupts me. I turn around to see someone walk into the room. It's Blaze. When he sees me, a smile appears on his face immediately. I smile back at him.

"Hey" I say.

"Hey" He replies.

We stand there for a few seconds, just looking at each other. Then Blaze speaks up.

"Okay, I don't want to waste our time now."

I nod, waiting for him to continue.

He laughs. "I don't even have that much to say actually. I just wanted to see you before you left."

"Well, I'm glad you're here." I tell him.

"Good luck in the Games. I hope you'll make it out alive." There's a slight frown on his face, then it disappears. "I'm being silly. You've trained so hard for this; I have no other option than to believe in you." He takes a step closer and caresses my cheek with the tips of his fingers. "You got this, Satin. Just don't let yourself be overshadowed by the other tributes. You are a princess, but in a good way. I just wanted-"

He stops in the middle of his sentence as the peacekeeper loudly opens the door.

"Time's up."

"I just wanted you to know. Good luck, Satin!" Blaze says before the peacekeeper shuts the door behind them and I'm alone in the room again.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4.**

Less than a minute later, the peacekeeper opens the door again.

"It's time to go." He says.

I get up and follow him out. In the hallway I see Zircon, who is being led through the hallway by a peacekeeper as well. The four of us take the side exit of the City Hall. In just a few minutes, we arrive at the train station, where the train is waiting for us already. When we walk up the platform I hear an applause coming from the right. I turn my head to see the audience standing there. In the front, I spot the familiar faces of Blaze, Amelia and Salem. I smile at them and blow them a kiss. Zircon waves at the crowd as well. Then we notice Brynn, who is waiting for us a few feet ahead, next to the train door. She gestures for us to board the train. I get on the train first, followed by Zircon and Brynn. Once inside, Brynn leads us past several different rooms before we arrive in what seems to be the main dining room.

"Since we'll arrive at the Capitol in an hour, you'll stay in this room only. The trains in all the districts are all the same, there are bedrooms and wardrobes in this train as well for the tributes that have to travel for a longer time. Your trip doesn't take as long, so you won't be needing them." Brynn tells us. Then the door on the other side of the room opens and two people walk in.

"Let me introduce you to your mentors, whom you've probably seen or heard of before: Auria Lambent and Parcival Ampleston."

I recognize both of them. Auria won the Games only two years ago. She has green eyes and blonde hair in which she had gold streaks implanted after her victory. I remember how skinny and tiny she used to look during her time in the arena. But she has changed a lot since that time: she is no longer that skinny, little girl from the outskirts of District 1. She's turned into a real lady. Parcival looks roughly the same as he did when he won the 51st Games, with his green eyes and dark blonde hair. The only thing that's different is the stubble on his chin and the hints of lines around his eyes. The year in which he won was a strange one, since it was the year after the second quarter quell. Maybe that's why he hasn't changed so much. Or maybe he has, but he just doesn't show it.

"Hello, it's nice to meet you." Auria says, and Parcival nods in agreement.

Brynn gestures to the four of us to sit down at the large dinner table. Zircon sits down on one of the wooden chairs and I follow his example. Auria, Parcival and Brynn join us.

"So what's going to be your angle?" Zircon asks them right away.

"Well, look at you," Auria replies surprised, "Asking the questions for us."

"Yes. Because I'm the one going into the arena, not you."

"Take it down a notch, fellow." Parcival adds. "We're here to help you win this thing, remember?"

Zircon nods, but doesn't say anything this time.

"So about that angle," Auria says, "You're a handsome and strong young man. Your parents have made quite a name for themselves in the Capitol. We should use this to your advantage."

"I bet someone like you is likely to get a lot of sponsors." Parcival adds.

"However," Auria turns to me, "I'm not sure what to do with you. Your parents are jewelers, right?"

"Yes. Some of the Capitol citizens buy their work, too."

"Oh, really?" Parcival asks.

"There's this woman called Madeline. She's told me she works with the tributes' stylists."

"Interesting." Auria speaks again. "I guess I could see you as a little princess. I think that would work."

My eyes widen. "That's what my friend Blaze always calls me."

"Really?"

"Yes. He calls me the princess of District 1. I don't feel like I-"

"So I'm not the only one who seems to think that." Auria interrupts me. "Fantastic. So it's Satin Charbrooke, the princess of District 1. What do you think, Parcival?"

Parcival nods in response. "And Zircon Lovett, her prince charming, then?"

"Not her prince." Zircon replies quickly, emphasizing the word 'her'.

"I see." Parcival nods. He looks at Zircon and I think I see some kind of mutual understanding form between them.

"Okay. Before we continue, I was wondering if you two have been training before."

I nod, and in the corner of my eye I see Zircon nod too.

"Okay, that's fortunate. What kind of weapons are you good with?"

"Swords." Zircon answers. "I mostly practiced one-on-one combat."

"Knives. Mostly throwing knives." I say.

"So we have two fighters again. That's brilliant." Parcival says with a smirk on his face.

Auria has the same smirk on his face as she looks at Parcival. "Brilliant indeed."

"Oh, oh! The District 2 reaping is airing!" Brynn suddenly says, as she rushes towards the television. The four of us follow her. On the television screen we see the crowded square of District 2. I watch as the District 2 escort walks up to the right side of the stage to pick a female tribute. She walks back to the microphone and calls out the name on the paper slip:

"Lux Montgomerson."

_Oh no, _I think. I watch as the tiny blonde girl makes her way to the stage. All eyes are on her, and I can tell by the way she's trembling that it's making her nervous. I scan the boys' crowd to see if I can gauge Noah's reaction, but I don't see him anywhere.

"What a frail little thing." Brynn comments.

Then the escort walks up to the left side of the stage, picks a paper slip from the bowl and walks back to call out a boys' name.

"Magnus Fairbain"

A dark-haired boy, just as tall and broad as Zircon, walks up to the stage. When he turns around I can see he has dark eyes and a determined, yet somewhat angry look on his face.

I see that District 2 has the same reaping protocol as we do: The escort asks both tributes if they want to participate in the hunger games. Lux's answer is an obvious no, with tears included. Magnus's answer is just a shrug. Then we see at least half of the girls of the girls rush towards the counter to sign in for the second round of reaping.

In the meanwhile, the channel switches to a commercial break. Most of the commercials are about the Games: The tribute parade will be broadcasted live tonight and betting will start tomorrow. After five minutes, the screen is back to the square of District 2, where the escort already holds a paper slip with the name of a female tribute on it.

"Elza Ballantynn."

A girl with long, brown hair walks up to the stage. She has bright blue eyes with which she first looks at Magnus, then at the escort, and then at the crowd. Where Magnus's facial expression is grumpy, hers is determined. She stands next to the escort, waving at the crowd with a small smile on her face.

"That girl is gorgeous." Parcival says. "Could get far in the Games. She's likely to get a lot of sponsors because of her looks."

I take another look at her, and I see that Parcival's right. Elza is indeed gorgeous with her ocean eyes, straight nose and full lips. And it's not just her face: her whole body seems to be in proportion. She's skinny, like me. But she's definitely curvier.

"That's going to be one tough competition for you, little princess." Auria says.

"But I think this guy here," Parcival points at Zircon with his thumb, "Will also get a lot of sponsors because of his family's name."

"Yes, yes. I think so too." Auria agrees. "With that, and his strength and skills, he might have a chance of winning this."

There's a smile on both their faces. "So we have our work cut out for us." Parcival says.

I don't like where this is going because this conversation makes me feel like they're mainly going to focus on Zircon.

"By the way, that new fragrance of yours, "Passion", is really nice. I bought it the other day. Are the sales going well?" Auria asks Zircon.

"They're doing better than expected, so that's fantastic." Zircon answers with a smile.

"So what's your work going to be exactly?" I ask them carefully.

"We are going to do everything we can to make sure District 1 has a victor again this year." Auria tells me with a smile on her face.

I don't get the chance to ask any more questions because we are interrupted by Brynn, who can't take her eyes off of the view outside.

"Ah, there it is! The Capitol."

Zircon and I both get up and look out the window. The giant buildings of the Capitol loom up before us on both sides of the train station. I've always admired the Capitol's grandeur and beauty on the television, but it's much more impressive to see it in reality. The train makes its way to the station, through the outskirts of the Capitol. Citizens have already gathered near the train station. When they see the train pass by, they clap and cheer. Zircon and I wave at them from behind the window. Slowly, the train comes to a halt. Brynn leads us towards the exit of the train. Zircon gets off the train first and I follow him. Behind me are Auria and Parcival, followed by Brynn. Once I'm outside I notice that it's not as warm here as it was back in District 1. I'm still wearing the same short summer dress, in which I feel underdressed and cold immediately. When I walk on and see the citizens up close, I notice how strange they all look. I remember seeing images of Capitol citizens on our television, and they don't look any different in reality. Some just have strange hair colors, like Brynn. Some of them have strange faces. But most of them wear the weirdest kinds of clothes. I see a woman who's wearing a yellow skirt so tight I wonder how she even manages to walk around in it, and on top of that she wears a loose, purple shirt with blue paillets on it and huge shoulder pads. Underneath it she wears tiger paw shoes with heels. I find myself wondering how people can dress like this.

Apparently the look on my face is obvious, because Brynn whispers in my ear: "It's just Capitol fashion, darling. Now put up your best smile and go for it."

I do as she says. I put up a smile and wave at the audience as we make our way to the car that will bring us to the training center. The car is not an ordinary car, like Madeline's. It's a long car with lots of room in the back for us to sit. I'm amazed by how big it is on the inside: the five of us are sitting there and there still is room left.

"So this is your limousine." Brynn tells us. "Enjoy the ride, because it won't be long. The training center is close by."

Brynn was right: the ride isn't long. Within ten minutes, the car stops in front of a large penthouse. As we get out of the car one by one, Zircon and I stare up to the enormous building in awe, but then we realize that Brynn, Auria and Parcival are already on their way to the entrance. We follow them quickly. After going through several doors and hallways, we end up in a large room. I see a stand with swords and daggers in the corner, but when I look around I see that there are much more weapons.

"So this is where your training starts tomorrow." Brynn tells us. She points at the many different tables and small training areas in the room. "There are a lot of different training stations."

"I'd advise you to take a look at all of them at least once." Parcival tells us.

I take another look around, and I see Zircon does the same. There's not only stations with different kinds of weapons, but there are also stations with rope structures to climb in that hang from the ceiling and stations with different kinds of trees and plants.

I shiver. It's definitely colder in here. I'm hoping we're going upstairs soon, so that I can change into something more appropriate for this temperature. This summer dress was perfect for the tropic temperatures of District 1, but not for the chillier weather here in the Capitol.

"I'm definitely going to try that tomorrow." Zircon suddenly says. I follow his gaze to see what he's talking about. There's an obstacle course in the middle of the room, which consist of multiple platforms at different heights.

"That looks-"

"Well, we're not supposed to stay here now." Brynn interrupts us. "Chop chop, let's keep moving." I gladly follow her.

We make our way to the other side of the room that leads into a small hallway, which brings us to an elevator. We get inside as Brynn pushes on the glass panel in the elevator. For a second I wonder what she's doing, but then I see that there's some kind of buttons on the glass panel.

"Each district has their own floor, with living quarters for the tributes, the mentors and the escort. Since we are from District 1, we get the first floor." Brynn tells us as the elevator starts moving upwards. After only a few seconds, the elevator stops again. Brynn gets out first, and we follow her. We walk across another hallway that ends with a door. Brynn opens the door and holds it open for us. On the other side of the door is a large living room. There's a dining table with eight chairs, lounge corner with a television and couches, and many more things. This room is about the size of our entire ground floor at home. I thought I had quite a luxurious life, but I've never been in a place like this before.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Brynn asks.

I nod. "It is."

Brynn walks towards a long wall at the end of the room that has four doors.

"These are your bedrooms. You each have a room of your own. I suggest you all take some time to refresh and relax, and then I will see you in a couple of hours for dinner."

Auria walks up to the door on the right, opens it and walks into the room. Parcival takes the room next to her and Zircon takes the one next to him. So that leaves the room on the left for me. I open the door and walk into a room that's more than twice the size of my bedroom at home. The blue carpet feels soft under my feet. The curtains on the windows are the same shade of blue, decorated with golden figures. In the corner of the room is a large bed, covered with a golden bedspread. I run my fingers across the silky fabric of the bedspread, and then I notice the small bathroom on the other side of the room. There's a toilet there, and a shower that has no faucets but a glass pane with buttons on the wall instead. Next to the bathroom is a huge wooden wardrobe, filled with all kinds of clothes: jeans, shirts, dresses. I walk into the bathroom, take of my clothes and jump into the shower. I take a look at the glass panel, but there are so many buttons and options that I'm not sure which one to choose. Eventually I get the warm water running and soap spraying in my face. I wash myself and then I manage to turn the soap spray and the water off. I dry myself off with one of the super soft towels and then I find something to wear. Eventually I go for black leggings, combined with a pink dress and a grey vest.

On my bare feet I walk back into the living room, where Zircon is sitting on the couch in the lounge corner, staring at the television. I sit down on the other side of the couch and look at the television too. The screen shows us the town square of District 3, where the reaping has just taken place. On the left of the stage is a tall but lean boy, with dark eyes and dark hair. He doesn't look older than sixteen. Next to him is a girl that's about as tall as I am, with long blonde hair and glasses.

"I see you have a twin sister you haven't told us about?" Parcival jokes behind me. I look at him, then I look back at the screen.

"Yes, I mean the girl from 3. She could be your twin."

Zircon looks at me, then looks back at the screen.

"She does look like you. That's creepy." He comments.

I glance at the girl on the screen again. We both have long, blonde hair. We are both skinny and we both have the wide-eyed gaze. But that's where the resemblances end for me. Her lips form a thin line as she squints, probably because of the sun.

Zircon, Parcival and I spent the next two hours watching the reapings of all the districts. Halfway through the broadcasts, Auria joins us.

"So this is your competition. But you should also be on the look-out for allies." Auria tells us.

"Allies?" Zircon scoffs. "Everyone's going to kill one another anyway."

"Eventually, yes." Parcival replies. "But in the beginning of the games, you'll be less outnumbered by the other tributes if you have allies. Plus, you know what they say: Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer."

Zircon pouts his lips, giving this a thought.

"Do you two remember how I won my Games?" Auria asks us.

"You had allies, right? The two boys." I answer.

"Yes, the boys from 5 and 9. They had very high training score, so it seemed wise to team up with them. I stayed with them until there were five of us left. Then I ran off. Eventually there were three of us left: The boy from 5, who was killed by the girl from 2. Then I strangled her, and I won."

After that conversation, I look at the other tributes more critically. The ones that I feel like I have to watch out for are both tributes from 6, the boy from 9 with his vicious expression, and both tributes from 10. The ones I'm not scared of are the girl from 7, who is the youngest tribute this year, the boy from 8 and both tributes from 12, who don't seem to really get what they are doing there.

Half an hour later we're eating our dinner in silence, until Brynn joins us and starts talking about tomorrow. In the meanwhile, we hear the elevator on the other side of the hallway zoom by.

"Another pair of tributes has arrived." Brynn notices. "Probably from District 2."

No one really responds to her: everyone is busy eating.

"So tomorrow, when all the tributes have arrived, you will meet your prep team. They're here to make sure you two look nothing less than fabulous for the tributes' parade tomorrow."

When we've finished dinner, I walk towards my room again.

"The next few days are going be very intense, so make sure you sleep well." Brynn advises us.

In my room I open the curtains, just to see that the sky has turned dark already, so I close them again. I suppress a yawn, and look at my bed. It's been a busy day. I put on one of the nightgowns from the wardrobe and crawl into the bed. This bed is so comfortable that I fall asleep within seconds.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5.**

When I wake up the next morning, I feel disoriented. I look around the room and realize where I am again: In the Capitol, preparing for the Games.

"Good morning sunshine!" A voice sounds from the door, startling me. I turn my head to see who it is: Brynn.

"Good morning." I murmur.

"You've slept in late. Did you know it's near to twelve already?"

"Near to twelve?!" I look at the digital clock on the wall. It is indeed nine minutes to twelve. Back at home I wouldn't even think of sleeping that long.

Brynn must have noticed the alarmed expression on my face. "Don't worry, dear," She says immediately, "We are still waiting for the tributes of District 11 and 12 to arrive before prepping starts. I don't think you and Zircon need that much work, but I've seen some of these other tributes and gosh, do they-"

"You're awake just in time." Auria appears behind Brynn in the doorway. "Our lunch is on the way. Are you both coming?"

After I've changed my nightgown for a simple jeans and a cashmere sweater, I join the others at the dining table for lunch. While we wait for the Avoxes to come and deliver our food, Parcival and Auria tell us about the other tributes.

"So Auria and I met up with some of the other mentors this morning." Parcival starts. "We've discussed several things, but probably the most important thing to focus on for now is alliances."

"We think you should try to become allies with the District 2 tributes first. The boy is a really good fighter, and he's very strong. The girl is very clever and knows a lot about weapons as well. They seem good company for the first few days of the Games." Auria elaborates.

Zircon sighs. "But what if we are the last three left? They will definitely kill me first."

_Three? Aren't we with four then?_ I think. Then I realize what Zircon is saying: He assumes I'll already be dead by that time. I open my mouth to protest, but then the door opens and two Avoxes walk into our room with the food. The chattering quiets down once the five of us start eating.

"Bring me another one of those cinnamon rolls." Zircon orders one of the avoxes around with his mouth full. The avox puts one of the cinnamon rolls on a plate and puts it on the table in front of Zircon, who puts it in his mouth immediately.

"So, did you speak to other mentors as well?" I eventually ask.

"Yes, we got to know a lot about these tributes." Auria replies.

"From District 3, there's Leic and Sophie. Both sixteen years old. They aren't really fighters, but they're very clever. In a fight you'll definitely be able to beat them, even Satin. As you can already guess they'll be likely to avoid combat, but they might outsmart you in a different way. So it would be best to keep an eye on them." Parcival says.

"Then there's Irvin and Nerida from District 4." Auria says. "Irvin has just turned fifteen last week, and Nerida is sixteen. They can handle weapons, but not very great. However, they do know how to swim, how to build rafts and how to fish. This could come in handy, so I would consider them for your alliance as well."

"Someone I would also consider is Aran, the boy from 9." Parcival adds. "He seems very strong."

"Oh, that boy has problems." Auria contradicts him.

"Does it matter? He can help them to survive longer. And when the time comes they can finish him off."

"Hmm. That's true."

In the distance we hear the elevator zoom by again.

"That must be District 11 arriving." Brynn notices. "When 12 arrives, we are expected to be downstairs. You two will meet your prep team there and they will prepare you for the tributes' parade. It won't be long before they'll arrive, so finish your lunch and make sure you're ready."

Just as I'm taking the last sip of my tea, a voice sounds over the PA: "Tributes are to present themselves downstairs in five minutes for prepping. Tributes are to present themselves downstairs in five minutes."

Brynn, Zircon and I get up and make our way to the hallway. I turn around to see if Auria and Parcival are coming, but they are still seated.

"We will stay here for now." Auria explains. "We will meet you later."

When we walk into the elevator, there already are people inside it. I recognize the faces of the girl and boy from District 6. I believe Auria said their names were Trix and Endre. With them is an elder looking man, dressed in Capitol fashion. He must be their escort. The six of us stand in the elevator in silence. The sunlight falls over Trix's copper hair, lighting it up like a flame. She eyes me with her hazel eyes, then she looks away. I'm not sure what to make of her. Endre isn't paying attention to either of us. He stares out of the window, apparently enjoying the view.

Once we're downstairs and the elevator doors open, Brynn leads us through the training hall to another hallway. At the end of this hallway are twelve doors that are all numbered. Brynn walks through the door with the number '1' on it. We end up in another small hallway with two doors, where a man and a woman are waiting for us.

"Ooh, look Doozie! Here they are! Aren't they wonderful!" The woman chirps. She looks like she's in the end of her twenties, with a pale skin and hair in a light shade of orange with pink streaks through it. She smiles her pink lip gloss smile at me and gives me a hand. "Nice to meet you. My name's Peach."

I shake her hand and introduce myself. Then the man, who looks a lot younger than he probably is with his long and dark curly hair, in which he wears a bright green bandana, walks up to me to introduce himself. "And I am Doozie."

"So the lady is going with me," Peach tells us, "And the gentleman is going with Doozie."

Zircon follows Doozie through one of the doors, and I follow Peach through the other one.

"Are you excited for tonight?" She asks me, but she goes on talking before I've even formed an answer in my mind. "I know I am! Tonight is your chance to show off, you know. The sponsors are going to see you for the first time, so we'd better make you as pretty as possible. Although that probably won't take too much effort, just look at you! You're a natural beauty. Good thing Doozie and I picked out just the right outfits for you two! But first, let's get you cleaned up." In the room are three other people waiting. Two other women and one man. "Sweetie, meet the rest of your prep team: Nimmo, Juniper and Arlue."

"You can lie down here." She says, pointing at the cot in the middle of the room. I walk up to it, but then she stops me. "Oh, you'll need to take your clothes off first."

"All of them?" I ask.

"Yes, all of them."

When I hesitate, she adds: "Don't be ashamed, it's not the first time we see naked tributes before us." Then she hands me a small paper gown. "You can wear this if you want to. You know, to cover up." She winks at me.

Quickly, I take off my clothes, including my underwear, and slip on the paper gown. I lie down on the cot and try to pull the gown down, to cover up as much of my upper legs as possible. I decide it's impossible to get comfortable in this position, so I eventually stop trying. While Peach and Arlue examine the skin on my lower legs, Nimmo and Juniper roll in a sink on wheels in which they start to wash my hair.

"I think it's necessary to take a bit of the ends off." Nimmo says in his low voice.

"I wouldn't take off too much, though." Juniper replies. "Her hair is so beautiful and long." She smiles. "I wish mine was like that."

I eye Juniper, with her dark skin and short, black curly hair that is blue at the ends.

"Then why don't you grow it?" I ask her.

"I'm working on it." She replies. "But it will never be as beautiful as yours."

Peach places a strip of tape-like material on my leg. I open my mouth to ask what it's for but then she rips it off and I feel like my skin is coming off with it. Tears well up in my eyes and I yell.

"Aah! Why would you do that?!"

"Oh, oh. Don't worry sweetie." Peach tries to reassure me.

"We are only removing the hairs." Arlue adds. "It will hurt for a little bit, but when it's done you will be even more beautiful."

About two hours later, I feel like every stray hair, every dead skin cell and every inch of dirt has been removed from my body. I've never felt barer than this, even though I'm wearing the paper gown again. Peach and the rest of the prep team have walked out of the room to gather my outfit for tonight. In the meanwhile, an avox brings a meal for me. When I've finished it she takes away the empty plate and leaves me alone in the room. Fortunately, it doesn't take long for someone to return. Nimmo and Arlue walk into the room and start working on my hair and make-up. They are almost done when Peach and Juniper return with my dress. My mouth falls open at the sight of the dress. It's made of shimmering, golden fabric. The skirt is decorated with a net of silver thread and transparent glass beads. It reminds me of one of the chandeliers I've seen inside the City Hall.

"It's beautiful." I say.

"Why don't you put it on already?" Peach proposes. "It's good, Arlue, she's done."

Arlue puts down the brush and she and Peach help me into the dress. The body of the dress fits like a second skin, soft and comfortable. The skirt takes some more getting used to because of its weight and size. After a few minutes of practice, I manage to walk around in it without stumbling.

"You look fantastic!" Peach says, eyeing me. "You should see it for yourself! Do you want to see yourself?"

I nod. Peach takes one of the mirrors from the wall and holds it up in front of me. I blink a couple of times in surprise when I see myself. I never realized my eyes were so big and vibrant. They are decorated with gold and silver eye make-up, and my hair shimmers in the light.

"This is wonderful. Thank you so much." I say to Peach. She smiles in response.

"We should get going. I believe Zircon and Doozie already headed downstairs earlier." Peach says. The two of us make our way through the long hallway again. At the end of this hallway is a door that leads us to a small square, where the twelve chariots with horses in front of them are already waiting for us. Several tributes have gathered next to their chariots already. Peach and I walk past the chariot of District 4. Both tributes are dressed up like sea creatures. Nerida reminds me of a water nymph, with her long, light blonde hair, light blue eyes and her turquoise dress. Irvin is dressed up similarly but doesn't look as striking to me. The tributes of District 3 haven't arrived yet. Then we see Magnus and Elza from District 2, both dressed up in gladiator costumes that make them look even more dangerous than usual. Then, in front of the line, I spot our chariot. Zircon is already standing next to it, patting the horse's neck. He is dressed in a similar golden suit, that's also decorated with the silver thread and the glass beads. He looks like a business man attending a party: Spoiled, stiff and arrogant. Maybe I should try not to see him that way, I think, I do want him as my ally, after all. But then again, I don't need him to be my friend.

"Hello." I greet Zircon. He looks at me and murmurs a greeting back.

"So are you ready to do this?" I ask him, trying to initiate a conversation.

He scoffs in response. "I was born ready."

"Good."

"Yikes. I hope you two will get along better in the arena if you want to be allies." Brynn walks up to us, followed by Auria and Parcival.

"Okay, one last thing before the parade starts." Auria says. "During the parade, the sponsors will see you for the first time. This is your chance to leave a good first impression. Show them your best side, because if you manage to get a lot of sponsors it will surely increase your chances of winning."

Zircon frowns, and turns to Auria to say something, but he is interrupted by the voice that sounds over the PA.

"Tributes mount up. Tributes mount up."

"Okay, it's time." Doozie says. . He and Peach reach out to help me get on, which is a lot harder in this enormous dress. Two game makers walk by, checking if everyone has indeed mounted up. Then they open the fence in front of our chariot slowly.

One of the game makers turns around to yell instructions. "First chariot in Three, Two, One."

It takes a few seconds to regain my balance once the chariot starts moving. I grab hold of the bar in front of me. Once I'm used to the motion and stand solidly, I feel confident enough to release one hand and wave at the crowd with a smile on my face. In the corner of my eye I see Zircon doing the same. I'm taken off guard when he suddenly plants his elbow in my side, which causes me to almost lose my balance. I'm not sure whether it was on purpose or not, so I pretend like it's not a big deal and go back to my waving and smiling again. I look at the crowd, clapping and cheering. It's for us. For me. And when that sinks in, I enjoy the attention and try to connect with the audience. I try to look people in the eye, remember faces. Maybe they'll remember me as well. Too soon the chariot comes to a halt, in front of the stage where President Snow is seated. He eyes all of the tributes, waiting for every chariot to arrive. When the twelve chariots are lined up in front of the stage, President Snow walks up to the microphone.

"Welcome." He says. The cheering and clapping slowly fades, until it's completely quiet.

"Welcome Tributes. We admire your courage and your sacrifice to present yourself in front of us this year, for the 57th annual Hunger Games. We wish you happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor."

Then the chariots come in motion again, and in the same order we ride back to the square we come from. The whole team is already waiting for us when we arrive.

"You did so well!" Peach exclaims. "Both of you looked absolutely gorgeous."

"Good job." Parcival agrees. "Now let's go upstairs and get that make-up of off you."

Half an hour later, I sit alone in my room, looking out the window. Down in the Capitol, the party is still going on.

"It's fun to see, isn't it?" Auria says, standing in the doorway. "You should really go to sleep though, training starts tomorrow and it's going to be rough."

"It's a shame we're not allowed to join the party."

"It is, but then again, you'll want to be as fit as you can for the games. And keep in mind that it's you who they're celebrating." The left corner of her mouth curls up. "Good night, Satin." She says, as the door closes behind her quietly.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6.**

"Welcome tributes. Today is your first day of training."

The man looks around the circle that we formed. His dark, prying eyes connect with each one of us for half a second, then they move on to the next. We are all wearing the standard training outfit we've been giving: A black polo shirt, with our district number in blue on the back and on the sleeves, with blue trousers and black boots.

"My name is Talon. I'm your head trainer."

Behind me I hear Zircon scoff. I'm tempted to turn around to tell him to shut up, but my eyes stay focused on Talon. He isn't very tall, but his broad shoulders and muscled arms make him seem strong and intimidating. The twenty-four tributes, including me, are standing around him. All our eyes are on him, listening to what he's saying. His black curls dance as he turns his head from left to right.

"Use your time here well, for it will be over soon. Remember, this is your chance to train." He emphasizes the word 'your'. "If you want to make it far in the games, you should pay attention here. There are twenty-six different training stations. I'd recommend you to look at all of them at least once."

That's what Parcival told us too.

"Don't overlook the survival skills. Most tributes run for the weapons first, and it's absolutely fantastic if you can wield a sword or handle a dagger. But if it's freezing at night, it would be helpful to know how to make a fire. When you're looking for food, it can help you if you know what plants or insects are actually edible and not poisonous. You have three days to practice, expand and show your skills. On the third day, you have a chance to show the gamemakers your skills. Based on what you show them, you get a score. The higher your score, the more sponsors you're likely to get."

As Talon continues talking, I notice that nearly all of the tributes surrounding him aren't as still anymore as they were in the beginning, and neither am I. We are tired of listening to him, even though he probably means well. We want to get going. I sigh softly as I fold my arms.

"Alright. With that being said, you can start now." Talon eventually says. He doesn't have to say any more. I see him watching us as we find our way through the training hall, his lips pressed together.

I follow Zircon towards the gauntlets. The girl from 5 and the boy from 8 are already waiting there, but Zircon just pushes them aside. I stand behind them and wait.

"Just because he's Lovett's son, he thinks he can just do anything." The girl from 5 whispers, her long and dark braided hair dances as she shakes her head.

"What's so special about being a Lovett?" A voice behind me asks. I turn around and look into the face of the girl from 12. For a second I think she's joking, but her voice is serious.

"You don't know the Lovetts?" The girl from 5 asks, the right side of her mouth curled up.

In the meanwhile, the boy from 8 and I watch as Zircon makes his way over the gauntlets, jumping up and down. He nearly falls two times because he's trying to go too fast, but he corrects himself in time.

"I can imagine she doesn't." The boy from 3 joins the conversation. "The Lovetts are well-known for their perfumes, but that's a luxury product they can't afford back in District 12." Judging by the sound of his voice and his intonation, I'd say he's about 17 years old. But when I see him, I see he looks much younger than that. 15, maybe 14 if you imagine him without the glasses.

"Smartass." The girl from 5 scoffs, then she steps on the first platform of the gauntlets. We watch her as she jumps from platform to platform. She doesn't miss any platform because she takes her jumps carefully, this doesn't make her very fast but she's not very slow either.

After the boy from 8 fell off one of the platforms and sprained his ankle, it's my turn. My feet find their way from platform to platform easily. I don't try to go fast, but I do end up at the last platform in no time. As I jump off, I see most of the tributes in line looking at me. I even get a smile from Elza from 2, before she turns her head to whisper something in Magnus's ear, who listens to her with the usual frown between his eyebrows. The two of them seem to get along well already.

I eye each of the tributes that are still in line for the gauntlets quickly before I move on to the next training station. I end up at the knife throwing station, where the girl from 9 is trying to hit the target, but keeps missing. After she's done I take her place with five knives in my hand. One by one, I let them fly from my grip, towards the targets. Two of them hit the targets exactly in the middle. When I've thrown all five, I'm approached by Talon, who has been watching me. I look if the girl from 9 is still around, and she is. I look at her for a second. This is how it's supposed to be done, you see? She must've read it from my face, because she rolls her eyes and turns away. Suddenly I think of my training with Blaze. If I looked at him that way, he would either applaud or look back at me the same way. I smile at the memory, it gives me a sense of security; Although there is a chance I'm not going to get out of here alive, I'm not scared of that at this particular moment.

"That was really good, Miss Charbrooke." Talon tells me. "You should practice with moving targets, too."

I nod, suddenly feeling more confident. "Alright, I'll give it a go."

Talon hands me the five knives back and gives me five extra. "Show me what you've got." Then he walks towards a panel in the wall and presses some buttons.

"Ready?" He asks.

"Yes." I reply, as I steady myself.

'Inhale, then exhale slowly as you focus on the target in front of you.' I hear Blaze's voice in my head, saying these words as if he were right next to me.

Talon presses another button, and the target dummies start moving. Forwards, backwards and sideways. I watch them for a few seconds, trying to anticipate their moves. Then I throw the first knife, which digs into one of the dummies' stomach. The second knife hits the dummy in the heart. I keep going until I've thrown all the ten knives. When I'm done, I look up: the knives all have hit the dummies in different places: I haven't missed even one. Then I turn to Talon. He presses another button and the dummies stop moving. He looks in my direction, but his eyes are focused on something behind me. I turn around to see what he's looking at. Behind me is a group of tributes: I recognize Zircon, Magnus, Elza, the boy from 3 and the girl from 5. A few others are standing behind them. Elza starts clapping softly, then the boy from 3 and the girl from 5 join in.

"Impressive." I hear Magnus say. Zircon scowls at him. I smile at them, then I move on. As I turn around, I bump into someone. It's a girl. Looking up to her is like looking in a mirror, because she looks almost exactly like me. I stare at her. We both have the same narrow nose, full lips and strong jaw line. After a few seconds, I start to notice differences. Her eyes aren't blue like mine, but a muddy shade of brown. Her blonde hair is a few shades darker, but not much. There's also a birth mark above her lip that I don't have. She breaks our stare as her eyes wander towards the ground. She squints, then bows down to pick an object from the ground. They're black-rimmed glasses. She puts them back on her face and clears her throat.

"I apologize for the inconvenience. " She says.

I look at the number on her sleeve. It's a 3. It doesn't surprise me, considering her odd choice of words.

"It's okay." I say. Then I hold out my hand to her.

She shakes my hand. "I'm Sophie."

"I'm Satin."

"If it weren't for the current circumstances, I'd say it's nice to meet you, Satin."

I nearly bite my tongue. I know what she's trying to do: using difficult words in an attempt to intimidate me. I'm not going to let it get to me.

"It would be," I say, "But I should continue training now." Then I turn away from her and make my way to the next training station.

After my third attempt to start a fire, I hear Talon announce that it's lunch time. The twenty four tributes and the trainers make their way to a room that's adjacent to the training hall. There are different tables set up and filled with all kinds of food. I sit down at one of the tables and look at the food, deciding what I want to eat.

"There's so much to choose from, and all of it looks better than the food we get at home." A voice says behind me. "Doesn't it?" It's Elza, who's taking place next to me.

"Yes, yes it does." I respond, smiling at her. "I can't decide what to try first."

"If it's already like this for us, I can't imagine what the people from the lower districts are going through right now." Elza says.

I nod. "Me neither."

It's silent between us for a few seconds as we both put food on our plates. I go for a rice and chicken stew.

"So where is Magnus? You two seem to get along well." I ask Elza.

"He's over there." She points to a table on the other side of the room, where Magnus sits, eating by himself. "We do get along, although I don't know him that well."

"You don't? It almost seemed like you two guys have been friends for ages."

"We're not friends. Before the reaping, I've only seen his face a couple of times, but I didn't know his name or anything. I think it was the same for him about me. But in the last day I've come to the conclusion that he'd be a good ally to have in the games, and I guess that's mutual."

"If that's so, then why are you here and not sitting there with him?"

"Because we think the same about you two."

"You do?"

"Yes. Although I do have the idea that you and Zircon don't get along that well, am I right?"

"We don't," I admit, "I believe he thinks he's far above me."

"But he's not. You know, I've already noticed a few big differences between you two."

"Like what?"

"Zircon is broad and handsome. He attracts a lot of attention and he knows it. Because of that, he likes to show off: He often acts, and doesn't always know what he's doing. You, on the other hand, seem to be more considerate. You're very pretty and have a way with words. You're sympathetic, but also a good fighter."

"Thank you." I say with a smile on my face. "So, what is it that you want exactly?"

"Well, I still have to convince Magnus, but I think the four of us should form an alliance in the beginning of the games."

"Magnus does seem like the type of guy that's hard to convince." I think out loud, as I look at the dark-haired boy that's silently eating his food by himself.

"He is, but you can leave that to me."

"What do you want me to do then?"

"I want you to convince your own district partner." Elza says quickly, before the the girls from 4 and 5 join us at the table. The four of us chatter a bit about training, but the conversation between Elza and I about your possible alliance has ended.

I don't seem to get a hold of Zircon for the rest of the afternoon. Every time I walk towards him, he's off to a different training station. So I make a note in my head to train together with him tomorrow and talk to him. After we've eaten dinner in our apartment, Parcival takes Zircon with him to the balcony to talk. Peach, Doozie and Brynn disappear too, leaving me and Auria at the table by ourselves.

Auria and I talk about the same thing I have been talking about with Elza: Alliances. She emphasizes again I should convince Zircon.

"I think he's the hardest one to convince. I can't look into his mind, but I think it's mostly filled with thoughts about himself. Not that I don't do the same, but the danger with young people is that they are often so busy looking at themselves that they miss the things that are going on around them. I used to be like that too, but my mentor has also taught me this lesson during my games. And it saved my life."

"I agree." I tell Auria.

"Good. You've done really well today, keep up the good work."

When I lie in bed later that night, it takes a while before I fall asleep. My mind keeps circling: Blaze, the boy back home in District 1 that is hopefully still rooting for me. On the other hand, I don't expect him to do otherwise. I would be upset if he did otherwise. Zircon, with his handsome face, despite the arrogance that radiates from it. How will I be able to convince him to form an alliance with us? I have to. What would his parents be doing at home? Will they be using the fact that their son is a tribute now in their advertisements and campaigns? I bet they can't wait to see him win. But I won't just let him win. In that moment, I plan to do the same thing as Auria. If we form an alliance, I will stick with them until there are only a few tributes left, and then I'll run. I don't want to take the risk of being killed by the hands of this boy with the bronze hair and freckles, who is already seen as a winner. Or by the hands of Magnus, who looks like he wins fights on a daily basis. I wonder what will be going through his mind once he makes his first kill: Will it be something that will finally make him smile? Or will he be frowning as usual? Then there's Elza. On one hand, I find it hard to imagine her killing someone, but on the other hand it doesn't surprise me. She told me she doesn't know Magnus well, but the two of them already seem to have formed a solid team. That could be either a big advantage for me, or a massive disadvantage.

The next morning, I eventually find myself at the same training station as Zircon. He's practicing snares and traps. I watch him as his fingers fiddle with the ropes. We sit there in silence for a few minutes.

"What are you doing?" He eventually asks bluntly.

"Watching you." I reply.

"Why?"

"Because I'm trying to learn from you."

"Can't you learn from someone else?"

"No."

Zircon sighs.

"I wanted to talk to you, also."

"About what?"

"I want to form an alliance with you. In the beginning of the games, at least."

The right corner of his mouth curls up in a mocking half-smile. "What makes you think I want to be allies with you?"

I decide I won't let myself be put aside that easily, so I volley a question back at him. "What makes you think you're going to be so much better off on your own in the arena?"

Zircon scoffs, but doesn't respond.

"I'm just trying to say that two is always better than one." I add.

He still doesn't respond, but his fingers have stopped fiddling with the ropes. They lay still in his hands. He stares into the distance and seems to be seriously considering my offer.

"Alright. We can give it a try." He eventually says, without looking at me. The tone of his voice doesn't give away any kind of emotion, it's just flat.

"Cool."

"Then we should start training together now. There's a lot I want to teach you in the next two days. You're decent with a knife and you're pretty agile, but your close-up combat skills leave a lot of room for improvement." There's no empathy or kindness in his voice; he's all business.

We spent the rest of the morning and the beginning of the afternoon training together. We practice at the sword fighting station. Zircon is a much more experienced sword-fighter than I am, so I do have a lot to learn. Blaze and I used to practice with swords at home, but that was child's play compared to this. At the end of the session, I manage to block some of blows and deal some myself. I'm not great yet, but at least I can defend myself a little better. I teach him how to throw knives. It doesn't come as easy to him, but he's a fast learner. We practice hand-to-hand combat, without weapons. Then he teaches me how to throw spears. I thought it wouldn't be much different than throwing knives, but I underestimated it: Spears are a lot longer, heavier and harder to throw. Both of us are happier to practice the fighting skills instead of the survival skills, but we take a look at them anyway. We just started at the edible plants station when we are interrupted by two shadows that fall over us. When I turn around, I see that the shadows come from the figures of Elza and Magnus, standing behind us.

"What's up?" Zircon asks bluntly.

"I think the four of us should form an alliance in the beginning of the games." Elza says. The tone of her voice is, unlike yesterday, all business.

"Really?" Zircon asks, "Because I get the feeling you two don't really need anyone."

"We do form a team." Magnus speaks for the first time, pointing to Elza and him. "I'm the muscles, she's the brain."

"And where would that leave us?"

"He's the muscles, I'm the brain. She's the princess, you're the name." Elza says melodically.

"Okay, I'm fine with that." I laugh. I turn to Zircon to gauge his reaction: He's not smiling. His face is just neutral.

"So that's what this is about." He says, his expression darkening.

"Come on, Zircon." I plead. "I think it's a good idea. The four of us would be really strong together."

"I'll consider it." He mutters, then he turns to Magnus. "You guys take this really seriously, don't you?"

"We definitely do." Elza replies.

"We see being a tribute and becoming a victor as an actual career." Magnus adds.

"Hm. You have a point there." Says Zircon.

"We have been preparing for the Games our entire lives." Magnus tells us, his voice low.

"Isn't that illegal?" I ask, not sure how to address the subject. Technically, I've been doing the same, but I'm not sure if I should actually admit that openly.

"It is, but there are so many people in our Districts that do so. Don't you?"

"Yes." Zircon replies. "But we hide in abandoned buildings."

I nod. "That way, the peacekeepers don't really notice it."

"So do we. I guess we aren't that much different." Says Magnus.

Elza nods. "So you could say the four of us form the Career Tributes."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7.**

Zircon and I spend the rest of the afternoon training with Elza and Magnus. Elza turns out to be really good with pole arms and axes. Magnus has a thing for maces and swords. We spent some time with the tributes from District 3, Leic and Sophie, and District 4, Irvin and Nerida. We tried to approach the boy from 9, who introduced himself as Aran, in a group, but he didn't want to train with us. Magnus eventually approached him by himself, and they spent some time together as well. When Magnus asked him if he wanted to join our alliance, he declined.

"I don't have time for that." He had said. I noticed he was the only male tribute who didn't have his hair cropped short. He put his long, brown hair back in a ponytail and turned away from us. He and Magnus are also the only ones with a hint of facial hair on their chins, which makes them look a little older than the rest.

"Alright, then you're the first on our list." Zircon jokes as Aran walks away. The four of us laugh.

"You're such an idiot." Elza says, but I can tell by the look on her face she's not really mad. I can also tell that she wasn't joking completely.

The last few hours haven't really felt like we're training for a killing competition. It felt like I was having a good time with friends. The realization that I will have to start killing these people in three days, in order to stay alive myself, hits me like a bucket of cold water. I shiver at the thought for a second, but then I decide to not let it ruin my fun for now.

The last day of training, the four of us spend time with more tributes. We train together with Endre and Trix from 6, Oliver and the little girl Tamora from 7, and even Stitch and Florence from 8. Stitch and Florence are dismissed soon, for Florence is not a good fighter and Stitch's clumsy recklessness forms a problem. Tamora, being the youngest tribute this year, might get us a lot of sympathy sponsors, but besides that she wouldn't be a useful addition to our alliance either, so she's dismissed too. That leaves Oliver, Endre and Trix for us to consider. We don't spend time with the tributes from the lower districts; they all appear weak and are not worth our time. So we continue training with Irvin and Nerida instead. Eventually we are also accompanied by the girl from 5, whose name apparently is Bree, and her district partner Raiden.

We decide to stick with the four of us, and for the rest we'll decide during the Games. Sooner than we thought, the last training session ends and it's time for the individual assessments. All twenty-four tributes are gathered in the dining hall, where we are being called one by one.

"Zircon Lovett" is the first name being called over the PA.

"Good luck." I say as Zircon makes his way towards the door, where the gamemakers are waiting for him.

Only ten minutes have passed when my name is being called. I get up and make my way to the same door Zircon has just walked through. When I enter room, I look around. Several attributes have been spread throughout the room. The gamemakers are looking down on me from a balcony, with Plutarch Heavensbee in the front.

"Welcome Satin," He says, "Please present us your chosen skill."

It doesn't take long for me to decide what to do. There's an obstacle course here that is similar to the gauntlets, and there are training dummies and knives. I put the dummies on different sides of the obstacle course, and gather a bunch of throwing knives in my hands. I step onto the first platform of the obstacle course, and pray to myself that I don't trip and embarrass myself. But my body seems to agree with me on that. My feet fluently find their way from platform to platform, only stopping to throw a knife in the direction of one of the training dummies. I jump off the last platform and turn around. Each training dummy has been hit by a knife in the chest. Proud of myself, I smile at the gamemakers, who applaud me. I bow before them, then I leave the room.

"How did it go?" Parcival asks as I enter our apartment afterwards.

"I think it went well. I've showed them my best trick." I tell him with a smile.

Both Parcival and Auria smile back at me. "Good." Auria says.

That evening, we all gather on the large lounge couch before the television in our apartment, as we wait for the television to turn on. When it turns on, the first thing we see is a close up of Caesar Flickerman, who sits behind a desk by himself, screens flashing behind him. He talks the usual introduction talk: The gamemakers have given all of the tributes a score, ranging from one to twelve. When he finishes his introduction talk, a picture of Zircon's face is shown. Underneath his face flashes the number nine. Then my face is shown, with an eight underneath. An eight. I feel a twinge of disappointment: I had showed them my best trick, wasn't that worth more than an eight?

"Well done, you two." Brynn comments. Next to her, Doozie grins excitedly.

"Well done indeed." Peach adds, then she notices the expression on my face. "Why the long face, Satin? An eight is great!"

I work up a smile, although it takes a few seconds for it to be genuine. "It's not bad." I murmur.

The next face on the screen is Magnus's, who has a score of ten. Then Elza's, who has a score of nine. I see the faces of the other tributes flash by. Sophie from 3 has a score of seven, Irvin from 4 has a five, and Nerida has a six. The little girl from 7 has a five. Stitch managed to get a six. Aran has a ten, just like Magnus, which makes him our biggest competition now. The lowest score goes to the girl from 12, who ended up with a three.

The next morning, Zircon and I are both taken to different rooms by Parcival and Auria for our individual media training. This is in preparation for the big show this afternoon, in which Caesar Flickerman will interview all of the tributes. Auria throws all kinds of questions at me, and I answer each of them with the same poise and grace.

"I think it was good to pick the princess angle for you. It really suits you." Auria comments after another bombardment of questions. "I've told Peach to make you a royally beautiful dress."

"I can't wait to see it." I say, smiling.

Auria then drags me to another room, where Brynn is waiting for me. She gives me a short course on how to present myself in public and how to walk in heels. It doesn't take long, because most of these things come naturally to me. I've walked on heels before, so it's not completely new to me, but I'm not used to walking on heels this high.

After we've both finished our individual training, Zircon and I are brought downstairs, where Peach and Doozie are waiting for us. They bring us to the same rooms they prepped us in for the Tribute Parade. Nimmo, Juniper and Arlue are already waiting for me.

"You know what to do." Peach tells them. Then she turns to me. "While they work on making you pretty, I'm going to put the finishing touch on your dress. Be good, darling!" And with those words, she's out the door again. Nimmo starts working on my hair with some kind of curling iron, as Arlue paints my finger nails and Juniper puts make-up on my face.

"Darling, can you try to sit still?" Juniper asks.

"I try" I say through clenched teeth as Nimmo pulls on another strand of my hair.

Almost an hour later, they let me look in the mirror. I recognize myself, but I feel like a completely exaggerated version of me. My nails are a deep, glittery pink. My hair looks like it's been bathed in golden glitter and it's been put back with all kinds of pins. My golden curls now fall only over my back, instead of my shoulders. My face is made up with shades of pink and pink, which really brings out my blue eyes. I don't just feel like ordinary Satin Charbrooke anymore. Instead, I feel like the princess they want me to be.

"Look at you." Peach says in awe, as she walks in with a bag that must contain my dress. "You look absolutely beautiful."

"You did a great job!" She tells her three assistants. "Let's put on her dress. Satin, close your eyes."

I do as they say. I hear a zipper opening, and ruffle of fabric. Then I feel the silken fabric slide over my body, some adjusting and more ruffling, and then it's done.

"It's absolutely gorgeous." I hear Nimmo's deep voice say.

"Do you want to see it?" Peach asks me. I nod without hesitation.

"Okay, open your eyes."

I do as she says and as soon as I see the dress, I'm speechless for a few seconds. The dress is made out of soft pink fabric. The top is corset-like, with golden laces at the back. The skirt falls under it in wide layers of pink and gold. The whole thing is decorated with butterflies, in a zigzag line from top to bottom. Arlue helps me in the heeled golden sandals that go along with it. Then there's a knock on the door.

"Is she ready?" Brynn's voice chirps from the other side of the door. Then she opens it and walks in, her mouth falling open at the sight of me.

"Satin, you look absolutely beautiful! Are you ready to go?"

I follow Brynn out of the room, where Zircon is already waiting. Compared to my dress, his white and marine blue suit looks somewhat dull. Nonetheless, he still looks charming. I see him eyeing me, but he says nothing. Neither do I. Brynn brings us to the car which will bring the three of us to the City Circle for our interview. When we arrive backstage, we meet up with Auria and Parcival again, who compliment our prep teams for making us look so beautiful.

"Satin, you'll be up first." Auria tells me. "But if you do it just as we rehearsed yesterday, you'll be great."

"Zircon is second. Same goes for you, just remember to smile a little more." Parcival tells Zircon, which makes Zircon frown at him.

When all the tributes are gathered backstage, the show starts. We hear not the familiar intro tune that was always played when Amaryllis entered the stage, but we hear a new one instead. These are fresh, new notes coming from trumpets, that give a whole new atmosphere to the City Circle. After Caesar has walked up the stage, he calls us. All twenty-four of us take place on the seats in the back of the stage. Caesar cracks a few jokes to warm up the audience, then I'm being called to the center of the stage.

"A round of applause for the first tribute of this evening, the princess of District 1: Satin Charbrooke!" Caesar gestures in my direction, and I know that's my cue to stand up and walk towards him. I sit down on the seat next to his.

"Welcome, Satin." Says Caesar. "You look absolutely stunning this evening." Then he addresses the audience with a "Doesn't she, folks?" to which the audience claps wildly.

"So at the reaping in District 1, you volunteered as a tribute. And out of all the volunteers, you were the one who was chosen. How does that make you feel?" He asks.

"I feel honored to be representing my District." I answer gracefully.

"Do you think you're ready?"

"I couldn't be more ready than I am now. I've done all that I could do to prepare."

"So poised, so marvelous. A real princess!" Caesar exclaims. "You've already made a lasting impression when I saw you in that beautiful outfit during the Parade, it would be hard for other tributes to measure up."

"Thank you, Caesar. The jewelry I wore during the Parade was crafted by my own family and I am very proud of that."

"I can imagine that very well. Now, are you going to make your family proud of you?"

I am just in time to reply with a determined "Yes" before the buzzer goes, announcing that our three minutes have passed.

"Thank you, Satin" Caesar says, and the audience applauds for me once more as I make my way back to my own seat.

"The next tribute might be known by a lot of you as the Lovett's son: Zircon Lovett!" Caesar announces as Zircon makes his way to the center stage. For the first time, I see the charming Zircon again. Making jokes with Caesar, but not forgetting to show off his strength and confidence.

"You'll have the ladies standing in line for you if you win this thing." Caesar eventually says. Then the buzzer goes, and it's the turn for Elza, who is dressed in a sky blue gown that matches her eyes. Just like me, Elza is very calm and collected, and even a little sarcastic. The audience applauds for her just as much. Magnus doesn't talk much during his interview. His answers are short and don't contain more words than necessary. Both Sophie and Leic talk in long sentences with difficult words, which make it hard to understand for some of us. Little Tamora from 7 is very shy at first, but eventually she opens up and gets a lot of sympathy from the audience. Stitch from 8 says he's ready to beat everyone up, and in his enthusiasm he hits Caesar in the face with his fist. I thought Magnus was blunt, but Aran is even worse. He'll only say "yes" or "no", and he constantly looks annoyed or angry. First to last is the girl from 12, whose name is Melanie. She doesn't make much sense. She giggles a few times and tries come off as a decent fighter, but her weak appearance is not contributing much.

After the show, we are all brought back to our apartments. Back in my room, I take off the dress and hang it over the door of the wardrobe. Then I jump into the shower to wash off all the glittery make up. My nails are still deep pink, but I decide to leave them that way.

When I finish showering, I decide to go to bed straight away. I could use some extra sleep this night before the Games. Unfortunately I can't sleep right away. I lay awake for a good hour, thinking about all the events that took place today. Things are looking good for me so far. I had a good training score and I have an alliance that has my back tomorrow. As last, I think of Blaze. What is he doing at this moment? There will probably be a couple of parties going on in the richer areas of District 1. The previous years, Blaze and I always tried to crash those parties together, whether we were invited or not. Often we were lucky and they let us in somewhere. The nights that we spent only roaming the streets in our best outfits, were rare. I smile at the memories. I wonder what he's doing tonight, now I'm here in the Capitol. Would he be crashing the parties by himself? Or did he find someone else to join him? I feel a twinge of jealousy to imagine him doing that with another person, since it was always our thing. Nonetheless, the memories have made me happy. Feeling satisfied and confident, I fall asleep soon.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8.**

The next morning I'm woken at dawn.

"Time to get up, darling. The big day has arrived." Brynn's voice blares unpleasantly into my ear.

As I get out of bed and look through the window, I see that the sun hasn't even risen completely yet. The clock says it's a few minutes past 6 in the morning. The games start at 10. It must be a long trip to the arena_, _I think. Zircon, Auria, Parcival, Brynn and I have breakfast together for the last time in our apartment. Then Zircon and I are given clothing to wear: A long-sleeved, black shirt and black leggings with simple black shoes underneath. I do not frown at this, for I assume that our final clothing adjustments will be done in the catacombs that lie deeply underneath the arena. When we're both dressed, we follow Parcival and Auria to the elevator, which brings us to the roof of the training center, where the hovercraft will be waiting for us. When we walk up the roof, there is no one else there yet. We are the first to arrive. When Zircon and I get on board of the hovercraft, we are being held by two women in white coats as they insert the trackers in our team with thick needles. I wince at the pain in my arm as the needle digs in and releases the tracker into my vein, but it's over soon. We sit down in two of the four seats, wondering for who the other two seats are meant. We get our answer as soon as Peach and Doozie board the hovercraft and sit down with us. Then the hovercraft takes off, bringing us to the arena.

When I thought it must be a long trip to the arena, I was right. Nearly two hours have passed when the windows turn black, which must mean we're close now. Peach and Doozie have made a few attempts to initiate a conversation, but neither Zircon nor I were very interested in talking at this point. We both know what lies ahead of us, and we are all business. Would I say I am nervous? Not at the moment, but who knows how it will be when we're underneath the arena, or inside it. Several minutes later, the hovercraft starts to descend. When we've landed and we get off the hovercraft, I see that the vehicle is placed in some kind of underground hangar. This place is not very big: The sides of the hovercraft are nearly touching the walls around it. There are three doors in the room. Doozie leads Zircon through one of them, and Peach leads me through another one. What the third door is for, I don't know. After a short walk through a long hallway, we end up in a small room what must be the launching room. It's only a few square feet big. In one corner is the door we came through, in the other is a clothing rack with the clothing I'll be wearing in the arena, still covered up, and in another corner is the tube that ascends into the arena. Peach puts my hair up in a braid that starts right at the hairline above my forehead, then ends on the back of my head in a ponytail. Then she uncovers the rack with my clothing on it and starts dressing me. On top of my long-sleeved shirt and leggings, I get to wear a lightweight ski-jacket, marine blue, the hood lined with beige fur. Along with it go matching marine blue trousers and black leather boots that end just above the ankle.

"60 seconds to launch." A voice over the PA interrupts our nearly peaceful but slightly tensed silence.

"Okay," Peach says with a sigh, "This stuff is all thermo, so my guess is it's going to be cold in the arena." Then she retrieves a shimmering item from her fanny pack. It takes a few seconds for me to recognize it: It's the heart pendant necklace my mother gave me.

"You wanted to wear this as your token, right?"

I nod, glad that she remembered it. "Yes."

"30 seconds to launch." The voice over the PA says as Peach adjusts the necklace around my neck.

She takes a step back and eyes me carefully.

"I think my work here is done. You look beautiful, as always."

"Mostly thank to you." I reply.

She smiles a genuine smile, and for the first time I see lines under her eyes. I always thought Peach would be at the end of her twenties, but I doubt that now. I can tell now that she's had surgery, like most Capitol citizens, to make her look younger. It's hard to tell how old she really is. Maybe she's in her thirties after all.

"15 seconds to launch."

Then she does something I don't expect: she steps forward and gives me a hug. At first it takes me by surprise and I don't know how to respond on it. But when I'm over the initial surprise, I hug her back softly.

"Good luck, little princess. I'm sure you're going to do great things." She assures me.

"10 seconds to launch."

It's time. I walk up to the tube and take my place on the small circular platform. Right after that the glass cylinder lowers around me and the metal circle I'm standing on begins to rise. The last I see of Peach is her giving me a thumbs up.

For a few seconds, I'm enclosed in darkness. Then lights starts seeping in from above. As I rise into the arena, the first thing I see is brightness, then an icy wind hits me in the face. It takes a few seconds for my eyes to adjust and distinct shapes. The ground that surrounds me is all covered in a white material that I have never seen in real life, but only on television: snow. It's everywhere. There's not a single spot of ground in the entire area that I can see that's not covered in snow. Behind the cornucopia are trees, their tops covered in snow. I turn around and see that about sixty feet away from me are mountains. Lots of mountains, stretching out to the left and right, covering about a third of the arena. And the wind keeps cutting through me like a frozen knife.

This is the moment my nerves kick in. This climate is so different than the one I'm used to; maybe I wasn't prepared for this after all. For a second, I wish for the metal circle to descend again and bring me back to the launching room. Then I remember why I'm here. I'm Satin Charbrooke, the princess of District 1, and I'm here to make my family and my district proud. Because that's what I wanted: to become the pride of the district.

My train of thoughts is interrupted by the same familiar voice that booms over the PA:

"Ladies and gentlemen, let the Fifty-seventh Hunger Games begin! And may the odds be ever in your favor."

Then the countdown starts. We all have to stay on our pedestals for sixty seconds, until the gong sounds. If you step off before that time, you'll be blown to bits.

Once I'm focused again, I look around the arena. In front of me is the cornucopia, which is not as enormous as it has been in several previous Games. It's only as high as a human, and if I'd stretch my arms, I think I'd be able to touch both sides with the tip of my finger. It's made partly out of steel, and partly out of wood. In front of the opening, I see the silver of several weapons gleam invitingly. The pedestals of the tributes are placed only a few feet apart, which makes the circle very small. On my right I see the boy from 5, I believe his name was Raiden. On my left is the boy from 11. I try to look for either one of my allies, but I can't seem to find Magnus or Zircon anywhere. However, I do spot Elza soon. She's only three pedestals away from me. We make eye contact, and she waves and smiles at me.

"Fifteen."

"Fourteen."

"Thirteen."

Elza points toward the opening of the cornucopia. I believe she means that we should get there first and fast, before any of the other tributes do. It will be an advantage for us that will determine the course of the bloodbath. A very necessary advantage. Fortunately, the four of us are all very fast. I see several weapons glisten in the opening of the cornucopia. There is an open suitcase which is stacked with knives. My fingers itch; I want it. Those knives are mine. They belong with me. I need to have them. Mostly, I need everyone else to not get their hands on them.

"Twelve."

"Eleven."

"Ten."

On the left side of the cornucopia, I see Stitch, the boy from 8, trying to regain his balance. He nearly falls off his pedestal, but manages to stay on at the last second. There almost would have been one less contestant already.

"Nine."

"Eight."

"Seven."

I wonder what it's like back in District 1. I'm guessing the Central Square will be filled with people, watching me and the other tributes on the big screen. Everyone has a working television at home, but a lot of people like to gather at the square to watch it together. I wonder if Blaze will be there, too.

"Six."

"Five."

"Four."

I slightly move my feet, trying to stand in a position that enables me to break into a run easily. It's not as easy as usual, because the amount of space I have to place my feet on is very limited.

"Three."

"Two."

"One."

The gong rings, and my feet are moving before I even think about it. I try to run as fast as my legs will carry me, but this clothing and the slippery yet soft snow makes it hard to run on full speed. I curse under my breath, but I keep going anyway. I fasten my pace when I see that the boy from 10 is running in on me. I'm the first to reach the suitcase with the knives, and I grab a hand full, thinking I'll come back for the rest of them later. Around me, the fights are starting. I run towards Zircon, who pulls a sword out of the stomach of the girl from 12. I look down to her for a split second: she was the first one to die. Then I look up again. The boy from 5 is trying to run past us, but Zircon is faster than him and cuts his throat before he even gets the chance to grab something. Magnus is soon next to me, hitting the girl from 9 in the head, against her temple, with his spiky mace. She falls down and doesn't move anymore. Her hand is outstretched to an item next to me: a leather whip. However, the boy from 11 manages to get hold of it, and runs back right away. I'm tempted to run after him, but Zircon is holding me back. I then throw one of my knives towards him, which hits him in the back. He falls down, coughing up blood.

"Well done." Magnus comments.

"Never go into a fight by yourself." Zircon hisses.

Elza has joined us too, after she got her hands on a pole arm. The four of us stand in front of the cornucopia, trying to prevent the rest of grabbing weapons. We don't have much success. We see Aran getting his hands on a sword, and with him is the girl from 6, who only manages to grab a bow and a quiver of arrows.

"Come on, Trix." Aran yells as they see us running towards them. I throw one of my knives towards the girl, but she manages to dodge it with her quiver. Then they run, and within seconds they have managed to put too much distance between us. It seems that the bloodbath has ended in minutes. Every other tribute is nearly out of sight now. Most of them are making their way to the pine forest, some of them head towards the mountains or the snowy plains. When the area around the cornucopia has quieted down, the four of us get to work. Zircon and Magnus take the lead. They break off the wooden boards from the top of the cornucopia and pile them up for a campfire. In one of the backpacks that Zircon got his hands on is a box of matches. After three attempts, he finally manages to set the wood on fire. I walk back to the suitcase and pick up the knives that are left. Magnus and Elza search the cornucopia for the leftover items. There isn't much left: One filled backpack for each of us, two blankets and even a pillow. Zircon has found two swords and a spear. Magnus has a sword too and the spiky mace. I have a dagger and my knives. Elza has her pole arm and a dagger. We lay our gatherings down next to the campfire, and look around the area. Around us, the snow is stained red from the blood. Further away, it's all white. Footsteps are spread out in all directions. Then the snow starts falling from the sky, covering the footsteps and the bloodstains, and extinguishing our fire.

Zircon strides towards the cornucopia, but after three steps he turns around.

"We can't stay here," he concludes, "There's not enough room for the four of us."

"We also need a proper shelter." Elza adds. "Who knows what more the weather is going to do."

So the four of us gather our things again and get going. We each put a backpack on our back and we carry our own weapons. Because I'm able to arrange my knives and dagger inside my jacket, I get to carry the blankets and the pillow too. And with that, we start hiking towards the mountains, leaving the bloodstained cornucopia behind us. A few minutes later, we hear the first boom of the cannon, followed by a second, a third, a fourth and a fifth. I hear Elza counting along out loud.

That means only five tributes have died during the bloodbath. "That isn't much." I say. In last year's Games, eleven tributes had died during the bloodbath. That's almost half of the tributes. Now only a quarter of the tributes are gone, leaving the other three quarters roaming free in the arena around us, forming a possible threat, and we don't know where they are. In this moment, I'm glad I chose to be part of this alliance. The four of us will be able to take on any tribute getting in our way.

"That means we have a lot of work ahead of us." Magnus comments, pulling his lips in a thin line that goes along great with the usual frown he wears. He seems so… dissatisfied. I try to read his face, wondering what it is that makes him so dissatisfied, but I get no further than the creases that have formed on his forehead before Elza interrupts us.

"Look, over there!" she yells, "It looks like caves."

I follow her gaze. It's hard to see in the distance with the falling snow blurring my vision, but then I see it: About halfway up on the second mountain to the right, there's a dark spot: an opening. A cave.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9.**

It feels as if hours have passed when we're finally halfway up the mountain, in front of the cave that Elza had spotted earlier.

"Let's explore this thing, shall we?" Zircon proposes as he enters the cave. The rest of us follow him. The inside of the cave is larger than you would expect after seeing the small entrance. It has room for the four of us and our stuff, and then there's even room left. We put down our stuff and sit down in a circle.

"Okay, what do we do next?" Zircon asks.

"This cave seems like a good base for now," says Elza. "We could stay here for a while."

"We'll need food." I add.

"Two of us should go out to hunt. Two of us should stay here to guard the place." says Magnus.

Our discussion is interrupted by a soft beeping outside our cave. Elza is the first to get up and walk to the entrance of the cave.

"Guys! You should see this!" she calls.

Outside, just in front of our cave, a parachute is landing. Attached to the parachute is a bundle of wood. Elza smiles at us as she drags it into our cave.

"Zircon, you had matches." She says.

Zircon retrieves the box of matches from his backpack as Elza arranges half of the wood in the shape of a pyramid. She puts the other half aside for later. Zircon lights a match and sets the wood on fire. When I feel the warmth that radiates from the fire, I notice how cold I've gotten. Judging by the looks on the others' faces, I am not the only one.

Maybe we should be out there, hunting the other tributes down, but the upcoming darkness and the weather circumstances are making it very hard on us. We decide to sit this evening out and try again tomorrow. Magnus opens his backpack and checks the contents. Inside, there's two pieces of rope, a sleeping bag and a few packets of dried meat. Inside mine, I find a complete box of crackers and a box of dried fruit. Elza has the smallest backpack, which only contains an empty plastic bottle and a water purifier. In Zircon's backpack are two boxes of matches, a first-aid kit and four pairs of socks.

He laughs. "What do we need socks for?" and he's about to throw them in the fire, but Elza stops him.

"You never know when they could be useful. Keep them, just in case."

"With all this food, we don't need to hunt anymore." I say.

"We do need to hunt, but not today." Magnus notices.

"Not today." Elza agrees. "It'll be dark soon anyway."

Elza was right. When I look outside about half an hour later, the sun is setting. The four of us share half of the dried fruit, half of the crackers and two packs of the dried meat. Elza, Zircon and I spend most of the evening chatting and exchanging stories about our districts. Magnus spends the majority of the evening listening and staring at the walls of the cave. Sometimes he says something, but it's never more than just a few words. Once, when Elza makes a joke, I think I see him smile, but it's gone as soon as I realized it. I wonder what happened to him that makes it so hard for him to smile.

The four of us sit around the fire for a while, but eventually we are interrupted by the familiar Capitol anthem that starts playing in the arena. We all know what that means and rush to the entrance of the cave quickly. We stare at the sky, where the Capitol emblem appears. Below the emblem are two words: The Fallen. They do this every day in the Games: giving us an overview of which tributes died that day, so we can all keep track. The audience at home will see this overview as well. The first face that appears in the sky is the boy from 5, followed by his dark-haired female district partner. That means that the tributes from 3 and 4 must still be alive as well. Next is the girl from 9, and after her is the boy from 11. The last tribute that's shown is the girl from 12, as I expected. She never stood a chance. The sky turns dark again, the music fades out and the four of us head back inside.

"So that's five gone on the first day. That's not much." Zircon says.

"That means no one has died after the blood bath." Elza concludes.

"Boring" Zircon comments.

"Well, the tributes from the other districts might be a little more reluctant to fight than you." Elza reprimands him.

"It's no use. They might as well fight." Magnus says. "We all know that only one of us is going to make it out alive anyway."

"I suggest we go get some kills tomorrow." Zircon says. "If the audience sees how well we are doing, we might get more sponsors."

"Shouldn't we get food first?" I suggest.

"I agree with Satin. We need food first. And water. Don't forget water. As soon as we've got that secured, we go hunt the other tributes down." says Elza in a tone that leaves no room for contradiction. Our goal for the next day is clear, whether we want it or not.

Eventually Elza and I are getting tired. We decide to go to sleep while Zircon and Magnus stand guard. After a few hours, we switch. The darkness of the night lingers for a long time, but when Magnus wakes up after a couple of hours, the sun is already high up in the sky. Zircon is still sleeping.

"I think it's a good time to go hunt now. Apparently the days aren't that long here."

"Where and what do you want to hunt?" I ask.

"The forest?" asks Elza.

"Maybe." Magnus adds. "Is one of you going with me, or should I wake Zircon?"

"I'll go." I say. Maybe I'll have a chance to actually talk to him. I don't know why I want that.

"Alright. Get what you need to take with you, and then we can leave right away."

I nod, then I turn to Elza. "Are you two going to be fine here?"

Elza smirks. "Don't worry. I'll just let him sleep for now. I can guard this place by myself if needed."

With that being said, I arrange the last knife inside of my jacket, and then Magnus and I leave the cave. The two of us walk side by side as we make our way down the mountain. Again, I notice how massive this arena is, compared to other games. I can't even see the cornucopia from here.

"Can you believe we've walked all this way yesterday?" I say, hoping to initiate some conversation.

Magnus's reply is nothing more than a short "hum". The usual frown is back between his eyebrows.

I decide to just ask the question that's been in my head for days, without thinking about it too much. "What happened to you, Magnus?"

"You wouldn't understand." He murmurs.

"Try me."

"No."

Silence.

"Is it wise that we left Elza and Zircon alone over there, in the cave?" I try again.

Magnus sighs. "They both know that we need each other to survive." The bitter tone in his voice drills into my ears, leaving me quiet again.

We keep walking in this silence, even though it's really starting to frustrate me. When I think it through, I'm not even sure why it frustrates me. It's not like this alliance is going anywhere. In several days, only one will be left. And I want to do all I can to make sure that that's me. So why would I waste time on Magnus? I vow to myself to not initiate conversation with him anymore.

Eventually, when I feel like more than an hour has passed, I notice the route Magnus is taking doesn't lead straight to the forest. We're heading west, where there is nothing to see but snowy plains.

"Aren't we supposed to go towards the forest?" I ask, breaking my vow.

"I don't know, are we?" Magnus replies, his voice flat.

"I thought we were going to hunt there."

"What if I told you I had a different theory?" He asks.

"What is your theory?"

"I'm not sure yet."

"I don't understand."

"Follow me to find out if I'm right."

I can't come up with a good reason not to. Even though I'm not completely sure if this is such a wise decision, I decide to trust him.

And he's right. I don't know about what exactly, but he is right. After what feels like fifteen minutes, the snowy, plain landscape changes. In the distance, there's a shadowy line in the snow that I haven't seen there before. It's as if there's a gap, for as far as I can tell. It takes us another ten minutes to reach the gap, which is not just a gap, but a ravine with a river at the bottom. It starts at our left, narrow and shallow. But it deepens and widens and stretches out to our right for as far as our eyes can see.

"I knew it." Magnus sighs.

Once again I'm amazed by the ingenuity and technologies of the Capitol. They disguised a huge ravine in the snow. You're unable to see it from a distance, but when you're up close, it's actually really large. And quiet, there is no one else in sight. If I listen closely, I can hear the soft splashing of the river water.

"Would any of the other tributes know about this?" I ask Magnus. And even though he doesn't seem to like me, and even though we're supposed to be killing each other off, this moment feels nearly magical. There's a little breeze that blows the stray hairs that escaped from my ponytail out of my face. When I look to my left to gauge Magnus's reaction, he's not there. He's already on his knees next to the precipice, about to make his way down.

"Wait." I tell him. What is he even doing?

"What?" He asks, as he jumps down.

I expect to see his face disappear, but it remains a few inches above the snowy ground. He must be standing on something.

"There are all kinds of ridges here. It's doable to go down there, but we must be careful."

I look over the edge carefully, just to see that he's right again. He's standing on one of the many snowy ridges. Though the ridge isn't wide, Magnus seems to be perfectly balanced.

"If I can do this, you should definitely be able to do it, princess." There is a hint of sarcasm in his voice as he starts climbing down, carefully placing his feet on the ridge below.

I sit down on my knees next to the precipice, just like Magnus did a moment ago. I let one leg dangle over the edge, then the other one follows. I prepare myself for the fall but it only lasts a third of a second, then my feet hit the small ridge that Magnus was just standing on. At this moment I'm grateful for the profiled soles of my shoes, because there's a thin layer of ice on the ridge that makes it somewhat slippery. Half slipping, half sliding, we climb down. During the training sessions, I scored high on agility, but I don't feel as agile now. I know I'm almost there when I hear Magnus' feet hit the snowy ground with a soft thud. Only seconds later, I jump off the last ridge and land on the same snowy ground. Magnus is already making his way to the river side, and while doing so he keeps looking left and right.

"So, which way do you think we should go?" I ask him.

"Right." He answer immediately. "There's nothing on the left."

I follow his gaze. On the left are snowy rocks from which the river water seems to emerge. On the right, the ravine seems to curve, so we can only see so far ahead. The two of us start walking in silence again.

The silence doesn't last too long: After only a few minutes, I discover footsteps in the snow. I show them to Magnus and we decide to follow them. We walk in a steady, quick pace and I have to make serious effort to keep calm because I feel like my heart is up in my throat. I'm excited and anxious at the same time. Magnus holds his mace at the ready, and I take one of the knives in my hand. Close to the river, we find a bundle of clothes. The footsteps then make a bend towards the river, and that's where we find her. The girl from 8, washing her long hair in the river water, in nothing more but her undergarments. Isn't she cold? I think she is, because her movements are timid and shaky. She doesn't notice us coming closer at first, but once she does, she tries to get on her feet in an attempt to get away. But Magnus and I are already on either side of her, so she has nowhere else to go except for the river with its icy water.

"Please…" she says, holding her hands up in a surrendering gesture. Magnus makes eye contact with me, and in that moment I know all that I need to know: No mercy. Before she has a chance to turn, Magnus swings his spiky mace at her, which hits her in the head. She falls down to the ground and appears to be unconscious. To make sure that she's dead, I stab her in the chest with my knife. Right in the heart, as I've been trained to do. She gurgles and convulses for a short moment, then her breathing stops and her body lies still. A strange expression that I cannot place clouds Magnus' face. Most of the tributes from our district are always excited to have slain another tribute, but Magnus doesn't seem to be very happy about it. Because of this, I don't feel as if I should express my excitement right now. The usual frown is back between his eyebrows, and as soon as he notices I'm watching, he turns away. He walks to the girl's dead body and rolls it into the river, where she disappears under the water's surface. Then he picks up her clothes and throws them into the water as well.

"It's probably better to have that out of the way." He says.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10.**

Magnus and I stand there for a few seconds, both of us watching the corpse of the girl from 8 float in the stream of the river. Her head bobs as her body hits a rock on the way, and her blood leaves a red silky trail in the water. We hear the familiar boom of the cannon as her body drifts away from us.

"She was going to die sooner or later, anyway." I tell Magnus in an attempt to comfort him, but it only appears to make it worse. For a split-second his expression appears to be… pained. But the expression on his face turns back to the usual grumpiness before I can be sure about it. It was our first kill after the blood bath, why isn't he proud of himself?

Why would he be? Says a little voice inside my head. I don't know where it comes from.

"Let's just keep moving." He murmurs, then looks up. In the distance, we can see the hovercraft flying into the arena. In just seconds it's hovering above our heads, descending as Magnus and I walk away from where the girl lies in the river.

"So, were you right about your theory?" I ask him after we've started walking again

"I have been right so far. But I'm currently still in the process of finding out."

"So what is this theory exactly?"

"I will tell you when I find out I'm right."

"Why not now?"

"Because I don't want to give you the wrong impression." He says. I don't know what to answer to that, and neither does he.

We walk for another ten minutes when we hear voices whispering around the corner. Magnus and I exchange looks and grab our weapons. Then we walk into the direction we heard the voices come from. There are two tributes here, a young boy with mousy brown hair that falls in waves over his eyes. Irvin, from district 4. I wonder why his stylists haven't cut his hair. Did he intend to keep it this way? Next to him is a girl with light blonde hair that I do not recognize until she looks at me with her light blue eyes. It's Nerida, but her hair does not fall in long waves over shoulder anymore. It's cropped short, like a boy's haircut. She no longer reminds me of a water nymph. Now she reminds me of a pixie. Nerida recognizes us right away, but not with the kindness she showed during training.

"Irvin…" She whispers as she backs up towards him. Her eyes are widened in fear and I can tell that her hands are trembling even though she is trying to keep them still.

Irvin, who had been preoccupied with knotting two bars of wood together, looks up and sees us too. His reaction is similar to Nerida's. Within a second, they face us, shoulder to shoulder. Nerida turns around suddenly so she stands back to back with Irvin. Her eyes scan the area restlessly.

"The rest of them are probably hiding somewhere, waiting for them to distract us so they can jump at us when we aren't paying attention." She hisses loud enough for us to hear.

"It's just the two of us." Magnus says loud and clearly.

Nerida appears to believe him, and stands shoulder to shoulder with Irvin again. Irvin has grabbed his trident and points it in our direction. I'm not sure what kind of weapon Nerida is holding, but it looks like a bundle of rope.

I feel the tension building, but then Magnus does something that I don't expect: He lowers his mace. I look at him, curious to find out what he's up to.

"What were you doing?" Magnus asks them.

"Does it matter?" Irvin speaks for the first time. His voice is lower than I expected it to be.

Magnus doesn't answer, but Irvin and Nerida are obviously waiting for one of us to say something, so I speak up. "Maybe."

"We were fishing." Nerida says reluctantly.

Of course. They are from district 4. If anyone would be fishing around here, it would be these two.

"Fishing?" Magnus asks with a neutral tone of voice. I know that tone: he's down to business. "Did you catch anything?"

"Yes, there are a few fish in here." Nerida points to another bundle of ropes in the snow. I see fish tails and heads protruding from the ropes. It must be some kind of net that they are caught in.

Magnus thinks for a moment, then looks at me shortly, then looks back at Irvin and Nerida.

"I have a proposal." He says. "If you can provide us with food, we can provide you with shelter and protection from a group with the career tributes."

"Career tributes?" Irvin asks. "Is that something new?"

"It's a term that we came up with, yes." I explain.

"So that's you two… and your district partners?" Nerida asks, still suspicious.

"Correct." Magnus says as he lifts up his mace again and plays with it. He looks mockingly hazardous. "So, deal or no deal?"

I can see the fear in their eyes, but Magnus' silent threat seems to have convinced them, so both of them nod.

The next hour, Nerida and Irvin continue fishing while Magnus and I stand guard for them. Sometimes we hear Nerida yell something at Irvin, or vice versa, but Magnus and I are both quiet. When Nerida's net is full, they gather their belongings and follow Magnus out of the ravine. He knows the way, so I walk in the back to make sure they don't step out of line. Magnus climbs up on the ridges and the three of us follow him. He yells some instruction to Irvin and Nerida on the way, but they move along quite well. It feels as if they've been waiting for us, because as soon as we reach the plains the snowfall starts again.

I forget about the time as we make our way back to the caves. Slowly, the sun crawls through the sky, to the other side of the arena. The four of us fasten our pace as we climb up the mountains. I'm glad to be almost back at our shelter, because twilight is setting in and I don't know how long it would take us to find the cave back after dark. When it's dark it's also harder to look out for other tributes that might want to attack us. I'm relieved to see the now familiar faces of Elza and Zircon when we enter the cave.

"Well, you surely took your ti-" Elza says, but she interrupts her sentence when she sees Irvin and Nerida are with us and jumps up to her feet with her pole arm in her hand.

"I brought us some new allies." Magnus tells her dryly. Elza seems to relax a little, but this time it's Zircon that's frowning.

"Great. Even more people to drag along." he growls.

"They can help us." I tell him. "Their fishing skills are excellent and it's because of them that we're going to have plenty of food for the next few days."

Zircon doesn't reply. He is not amused.

Elza gives me a small smile, which eases the tension a little bit for me. It doesn't have that effect on Irvin and Nerida, who are still lingering in the cave opening.

"We can still run." I hear Irvin whisper.

"Don't be an idiot." Nerida hisses. "They will hunt us down."

"Just come sit with us, will you?" Magnus says, trying not to sound too annoyed now. The two of them join us reluctantly. Nerida unpacks the catch of the day and starts cleaning the fish with a small knife that she retrieved from her pocket. Elza sits down next to her and watches her. Eventually she starts to help Nerida. When a pile of the fish has been cleaned, I light the fire again. Soon the six of us are filling our stomachs with the fish that tastes better than I expected.

"They call it The Hunger Games, but I haven't been really hungry so far." Zircon says with a grin on his face. "This is too easy."

I see Magnus' expression darken. Elza eyes him worriedly and so do I. What did Zircon say wrong? Nerida gives me a look of incomprehension. Irvin doesn't notice the entire thing and just keeps grilling fish.

"So we should discuss our tactic for tomorrow." I say in an attempt to change the subject. Both Magnus and Elza appear to be relieved with this change. Magnus then starts telling the rest about how we found the river and that we don't know where it leads exactly.

"It could go all the way into the forest. It would make sense." Elza comments.

"It sounds like a place a lot of the tributes would go to. It's the only obvious water resource." Zircon adds. "So I think that would be the first place for us to hunt tomorrow."

Nobody replies to Zircon, because suddenly we hear the Capitol anthem all around us. We head outside momentarily to see today's score. Only one face is shown in the sky tonight, and it's the one that's familiar to me and Magnus after today: the girl from 8.

"How well are you in fights?" Elza asks Nerida and Irvin once we are back inside. Irvin holds a golden trident up in response. I didn't see the trident in the cornucopia, so that must mean that it has been a sponsored gift.

"I'm not much of a fighter, but I know how to set traps." Nerida replies.

"Give her a weapon." Zircon commands.

"But traps are usef-" I start, but Zircon interrupts me. "Not when you're in combat. She needs to be able to defend herself directly."

I'm taken aback by Zircon's rude remarks once again, and I don't feel like taking part in this discussion anymore. I turn away from the group and try to get cozy with my blanket and pillow. In the meanwhile, a heated discussion is going between Elza and Zircon, but I'm not listening to it anymore. I try to block them out instead.

I don't know what time it is when I suddenly jerk up. I'm pretty sure I heard a sound in the distance, but it's gone before I can identify it. I listen closely for a while. After a minute or three, I again hear the sound that sends shivers running down my spine: the roar from some sort of animal, this time followed by the clamor of a fight going on. A muffled scream, which is interrupted suddenly, then the familiar boom of the cannon. I look around to see if anyone else has heard it, but everybody appears to be fast asleep. I quietly get up and step over Elza and Irvin to get to the entrance of the cave. I look into the valley of mountains around here, even though it's hard to see anything in the vast darkness of the arena, searching for a possible source of the sounds.

Then I spot them.

On the other side of the mountains. Colossal animals with a white fur that I've only seen on television once or twice before: icebears. But I know immediately that these icebears aren't at all like the ones I've seen on television. They're probably muttations, designed and created by the game makers. They walk on their hind legs, considerably faster than the ones on television did. Their front paws are gigantic claws with nails made out of icicles. But what's most striking about them are their eyes, that are so bright red that they appear to light up in the dark.

And they are heading this way.

I don't hesitate, I jump inside immediately.

"Wake up" I say as I start to gather my items. "Wake up!" I yell again, louder this time.

"What's going on?" asks the sleepy voice of Elza.

"Muttations!" I say, frantically checking if I've gathered all my weapons, then I fling the small backpack over my shoulder. In the meanwhile, the others have scrambled to their feet. I help Elza stuff the fish in one of the backpacks, and then the two of us steer the rest towards the entrance of the cave.

I follow Nerida and Zircon outside and I immediately see that the icebears have covered a great distance since I spotted them two minutes ago.

We have no time to waste.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11.**

The snow is still as thick and slippery as it was at the bloodbath. We have hard time trying to get away from the mutts. At some parts the layer of snow is so thick that it almost reaches up to our knees. But the mutts are right behind us, so we have no other option than to keep moving. We zigzag through the mountains, making our way to the snowy plains because it will be easier to run there. I hear Nerida cry out as one of the icebears rakes its claws across her shoulder. Zircon wields his sword and cuts off its paw. The bear roars in agony and lowers his pace. Unfortunately for us, the rest of the crew keeps chasing us. While running, Elza has opened her backpack and is digging into it with her hand.

"What are you doing?" I ask her.

"The fish!" She says. She retrieves one from the bag and chucks it in the direction of the icebears. Two of them have seen it and interrupt their hunt on us to dive after the fish.

"You're a genius!" I yell. The rest of the bears are still following us. Elza throws out a few more fish and it appears that her tactic is working: the icebears are no longer following us, but fighting one another in order to get to the fish that Elza has thrown out.

Now that the icebears are distracted, we take our chance and run to the other side of the mountain. When we are sure that the icebears are out of sight and out of hearing distance, we lower to a walking pace. Soon we leave the mountains behind us. In front of us are now the snowy

plains, illuminated in oranges and pinks by the breaking dawn. In the middle of the plains are the remains of the cornucopia. On the other side of the plains, far in the distance, we can see the snowy tree tops.

"Are we going to the forest?" Zircon asks, although the tone of his voice reveals that it's not so much a question, but more of a direction he wants to lead us in.

When we're halfway through the plains we come across the cornucopia and decide to take a break. It's the first time I've seen the cornucopia after the bloodbath. The bodies have all been picked up, as expected, but the snow is still stained red from their blood. The place looks abandoned now: the cornucopia has been completely stripped from all the wood it was made of, and the inside has been completely cleared out.

In a moment of silence, we all hear the sound: the shuffling of feet from inside of the cornucopia. Zircon is the first to respond and immediately jumps inside. I follow him, with Elza in my wake. In the deepest corner of the cornucopia, the tail, which is made completely of iron, she sits. The girl with the brown curls that fall down her back, who I recognize as the girl from 10. Her widened eyes lit up golden in the sunlight, but are soon overshadowed by Zircon's figure.

"Were you trying to hide from us?" Zircon asks mockingly. "How rude." He says, as he pokes the girl in her cheek with his sword.

"Don't play with your prey." Elza reprimands him. "Otherwise I'd be glad to finish her quickly."

"Don't you worry." Zircon bites back.

"No!" the girl exclaims. "Please, I could join you."

"Oh, she actually knows how to speak." Zircon says. Swiftly, he draws a cut along her cheek with the tip of his sword. The girl whimpers in pain.

"Zircon…" Elza starts.

"Wouldn't it be nice to deliver the audience a good show, Elza?" Zircon says.

Elza shakes her head and steps forward with her polearm lifted.

Zircon sighs. "Fine." In one swift move, he lifts his sword and slits her throat. Zircon wipes the blood of his sword in the snow and turns to us as the boom of the cannon sounds in the distance.

"Let's go." He says sternly.

"Wait." Nerida says. She walks up to the girl's body and stares at it for a moment. I can tell the wound on her shoulder, from where the bear scratched her, still hurts. Nonetheless, she bends down and zips up the girl's jacket. She looks into her pockets, but finds them all empty. The girl must have come here in the hope to find any kind of supply, as she seemed to be completely empty handed. Nerida then walks back to us, shaking her head.

"You are way too sentimental." Zircon comments, then he walks away from the cornucopia, making his way to the tree line. The rest of us follow him, knowing it's our best option now.

It appears the odds aren't in our favor today. As we are getting closer to the forest, snow starts falling. There are only a few flakes at first, but it gets whiter and whiter around us as we near the forest. I notice that we've started walking faster. Zircon must be in a hurry to reach the forest, which is about the first smart decision I've seen him make in the last few days. The forest may easily hide a lot of tributes, but it will also provide us with a little shelter from the snowstorm, that has nearly turned into a blizzard. I hear the sound of Zircon's voice, but I can't make out what he's saying because of the strong winds. We've reached a close group of trees. Magnus and Elza start weaving branches together right away in order to create some kind of shelter. I watch Elza's crafty fingers shortly, then I take my position next to Irvin, who's already standing on guard. Zircon joins us as Nerida tries to help Elza and Magnus. She uses rope from her nets to tie the branches together. I leave Zircon and Irvin on guard and try to find out what's left of our supplies. We didn't take everything with us from the cave. We gained a lot of items in a short time span, and we wouldn't have been able to carry it all when we fled. I can't deny that I'm a little disappointed. I'll miss the comfort of having proper blankets. Now we'll have to sleep with our jackets on.

Our new makeshift hut is so tiny that the six of us don't even fit in it at the same time. Four of us fit inside, which leaves two of the us to stand guard. Magnus and Irvin offer to take the first shift. Zircon attempts to sleep while Nerida lays a last hand on securing the roof, and Elza and I decide to explore the area. I had a little bit of hope to find some more food somewhere, but everything we come across is either covered in snow or frozen solid. In the meanwhile, the snow doesn't stop falling. On the contrary, it appears to be snowing even harder.

"There might be a blizzard coming." Elza says eventually. "We should go back now, or it might be hard for us to find our way back."

Because of the lack of space and the snow that's everywhere, we are unable to start a fire in or near our hut. Elza's prediction turned out to be right: the snowfall has turned into a blizzard which leaves us all blinded and defenseless, and there is nothing we can do. At this moment I'm really grateful for the thermo suits, because they're all we have to keep ourselves warm. Zircon and Elza have gone outside to stand guard. Nerida, Irvin and I are huddled together in an attempt to keep each other warm. Magnus sits by himself at first, but he joins us eventually when he can't do anything but shiver anymore.

It's hard to tell what is happening in the area, as we aren't able to hear the sound of the cannon over the howling wind. I don't know how many hours have passed when Elza and Zircon come in and it's my turn to stand guard. Nerida and I stand outside for another while before I notice that the sky is clearing and the familiar Capitol anthem fills the arena. The sky shows us two faces today: The boy from 10, who must have been taken down by the icebear mutts. Next is his district partner, who we took down in the cornucopia. Then the sky turns black again, and the blizzard returns as suddenly as it had left.

Halfway through the night, Magnus and Irvin take over, allowing Nerida and me to get some sleep. By the time I wake up, nothing has changed; we still can't see anything past two feet. As we can't hunt or even see, there's nothing to do but to wait it out. I lose track of time and as the cold seeps into my body it becomes harder to move. After a long time, the silver sky turns dark again and we know that another day has passed. The blizzard isn't interrupted this time, so we assume that there are no fallen tributes today. The cold forms a strain on our bodies, but it can't contain our growing restlessness. Outside our hut, Irvin is fidgeting with his weapons and Magnus won't stop pacing around.

"I don't think this blizzard will last much longer," Elza remarks, "If there are no deaths today, the gamemakers will certainly want at least one tomorrow."

When Irvin and Magnus come back inside, Zircon and Elza are very eager to get to their feet.

Finally, after what seems like a few more hours, the blizzard seems to decrease into regular snowfall. Zircon, Elza, Irvin and I decide to go out to find food, as Magnus and Nerida stay near our temporary base.

The four of us tread deeper into the words, further away from the snowy plains and the cornucopia. We haven't explored these woods before, so we're all alert and have our weapons at the ready. But the trees around us are eerily quiet, and we don't walk into any other tributes.

The eerie silence is broken by a large thud, followed by an even eerier creaking. I turn around immediately, just to find that a large chunk of ice, bigger than my body, has made its way to the ground behind me. I look up to find out where it came from, just to see that another one is making its way down. I manage to jump aside just in time. The others saw it happening and break into a run. I follow them immediately. We chase through the trees as the giant icicles keep crashing into the ground. It doesn't stop until we reach a clearing in the forest with a lake in the middle. We look around for a moment, checking if the danger has really passed, then we head to the lake almost immediately. Irvin takes out a couple of fishnets and throws one of them in the lake, hoping for a catch. He's taken by surprise when the net is pulled into the water with a great force. He tries to grab hold of it, but it disappears into the water before his fingers reach the rope.

"What was th-"

I don't get the chance to finish my sentence before an unfamiliar weight slams into me, knocking me to the ground. For a second I think I've been hit by one of the falling icicles after all, but then I realize the weight on top of me is that of another person.

A lisping voice whispers into my ear: "Surprise, princess!" I recognize it as the voice from the boy from 8, Stitch. I remember him as the clumsy, skinny tribute who almost fell off of his pedestal on the first day. Despite his clumsiness then, he has no trouble pinning me down now. I feel powerless as I try to free myself from Stitch's grip. He looks at me with a false grin on his face.

"What should I do with you?" Then he gasps and his facial expression first turns into a surprised, then a pained one as he coughs blood in my face. I manage to push him aside and find that a sword is sticking out from his back. Zircon bends over to pull out his sword and nods to me. Then he disappears again. I wipe the blood from my face.

Stitch's lifeless body goes limp in front of me. I hear the boom of the cannon in the distance. I get to my feet and run towards the others, who are each fighting their own battle. It appears that we aren't the only ones who were lead to the lake. Elza is facing two tributes I both recognize as the tributes from 6: Trix and her male partner. I throw a knife in their direction which hits the boy in the arm and he cries out. Then I head towards Irvin, who's currently facing my blonde look-a-like from 3. I throw another knife in her direction which only barely misses her head. Then she turns around to face me.

Before I have any chance of doing anything I see the monstrous boy from 9. He comes out of nowhere, and I'm frozen on the spot when I see him run in our direction. Sophie and I are both taken by surprise as Aran cuts through Irvin's neck effortlessly. Blood sprays from the hole in his torso. As I reach down to pick up Irvin's trident, I feel someone pull my arm and I lift the trident, ready to defend myself. It's Elza, yelling at me to run. I look over my shoulder and see both Sophie and Aran running in my direction. I run in the other direction and follow Zircon and Elza back into the forest as the boom of the cannon sounds again. As soon as we're back in the forest, the icicles start falling down again. With the other tributes still chasing us, we have two threats to run from now. I hear a scream in the distance as the chunks of ice crash into the ground, but as both Zircon and Elza are still running in front of me, I know it can't be either one of them. Seconds later, I hear another boom of the cannon.

To make sure the other tributes don't follow us anymore, we take a different route back to our hideout. As they see us arrive, Nerida and Magnus jump to their feet immediately.

"We heard the cannons! Are you okay?" Nerida asks. I don't have the heart to tell her that one of the cannons announced the death of her district partner. For a few seconds, an uncomfortable silence hangs in the heavy air.

"Irvin…" Elza is the one breaking the silence, still panting. I hold up his trident, which is still stained with his blood. I see the colour drain from Nerida's face.


End file.
